Cold Case
by Sariasprincy
Summary: The TMPD has to work with another department across the country to help solve a case. But the department is Sakura's old workplace and her past comes back with one purpose: to ruin her life with Itachi. Somehow though she has to convince Itachi the past is in the past before her relationship is ruined permanently. Sequel to Within the Messages ItaSaku Modern Police-Universe
1. Chapter 1

**I wanted to get Within the Messages and Cold Case up for you guys tonight. Look for the verses and other stories in the next day or too. Thank you to all of those that kept checking back with me! I 3 you guys!**

* * *

Chapter One  
The Case

The muffled sound of gunfire echoed in Sakura's ears as her finger pulled the trigger on her gun. She lowered her weapon and frowned slightly when she saw the bullet had missed the target by less than a quarter of an inch. Determined, she cocked her gun and fired again until her round was used up and she was satisfied with her aim. Slowly, she turned around as she took off her ear muffs and directed an accomplished smirk at her best friend, Yamanaka Ino. The blonde woman frowned before she gave Sakura the yen she now owed her. Sakura had warned her friend before their bet that she had better aim than her. It wasn't her fault Ino didn't listen.

"Wipe that smirk off your face," Ino snapped half-heartedly.

Sakura grinned. "I warned you."

Still smiling, Sakura sat down on a chair next to her and pulled the clip out of her gun before she replaced it with a brand new one. Ino just sat back in her chair and crossed her arms as more gunfire echoed around them as more officers came downstairs on their lunch breaks to get some target practice in. Though, Sakura hardly noticed.

Lately it seemed like everywhere she went, she was surrounded by guns and other weapons used in the field. It just felt natural for her to have a gun on her persona at all times. Since becoming a field agent again a year ago, she felt naked without one, especially when she was on-duty. Nonetheless she loved her new job even if it meant she put herself in danger every day. But she wasn't too worried. She had only been in the hospital once since going back into the field and even though it had been terrifying, she still didn't regret her decision.

It had started out simple. Sakura was just pulling a driver over for speeding but for whatever reason he had decided to run. She chased him through the backstreets of Tokyo in her squad car with back up not far behind. He had run a red light at an intersection and without thinking, Sakura had followed. A driver coming from the left hadn't seen the lights and sirens of the police cars and went straight through the intersection. They had hit the car of the person Sakura had been chasing, causing them to come to an abrupt halt. Sakura wasn't able to stop quickly enough and she rear ended him going close to fifty miles an hour. She had been taken to the hospital with some bruises, a concussion and a sprained wrist.

But being a field agent wasn't the only thing to change in the past two years. The ring on Ino's finger was only seven months old. It was the wedding ring Shikamaru had given her when they stood at the altar and said their vows. Sakura had stood at Ino's side as the Maid of Honor when Ino's fiancé had placed the ring on her finger. She couldn't remember her blonde friend being so happy before. The smile that had lit up her face was absolutely beautiful. It was a wedding no one was going to forget for a while.

That wasn't the only relationship change in the department. About a week after Hyuuga Neji had been arrested on nearly thirty accounts of murder and attempted murder on Sakura's own life as well as Itachi's, the department had hired a new Chief Medical Examiner. Her name was Shizune. She was a fairly short woman with black hair and dark brown eyes. Sakura hardly ever spoke with her, but from the few conversations they'd had in the past, Sakura had found she was a polite but quiet woman. She mostly kept to herself, but about six months into her employment, a rumor had started that she was dating the department's all-time player, Shiranui Genma. At first, Sakura hadn't believed the rumor, but when Genma had stopped flirting with her and acting like he wanted in her pants, she knew it was true. And from the slight change in his personality, she knew that he had actual feelings for the quiet woman.

Then there had been the debate dealing with Naruto. It had been a long argument that had ended in more than one fight. When the officers in the Tokyo Metro Police Department found out he was dating Hyuuga Hinata, the younger cousin of Neji, more than one person wouldn't even speak to Naruto. A lot of officers gave him shit for it, but when Sakura heard what was going on, she had made a public announcement that if anyone had a problem with it, they should take it to her before even looking at Naruto. After all, if they were happy, what was the problem? It's not like Hinata helped her younger cousin or even _knew_ anything about what he had done. She still deserved respect even if her family member didn't. Besides, Hinata was about to apply to the department and Sakura wouldn't allow anyone to make it already harder than it was going to be on the young woman.

But even with those changes, the biggest one so far had to be her relationship with the Superintendent General, Uchiha Itachi. Technically she hadn't moved in with him, but the more she spent the night, the more she found her stuff in the closet and his dresser. She hardly ever spent the night at her apartment anymore, but she didn't care. She was so busy with her schedule and he was with his that the only time they ever saw each other was in passing at the department or at night. She didn't like seeing him so little, but she knew they both had responsibilities – his more important and time-consuming than hers – and they were doing the best they could.

Besides when they did have time alone, it was like Sakura was in heaven. She had never been more showered with attention. Whenever he was close, her heart would pound almost painfully against her ribs and she couldn't help but smile, even after two years since the start of their relationship. He made her happier than anyone else ever had and her heart swelled when she knew she made him feel the same way.

Which is why when she had been placed in the hospital after her car accident with the suspect she was chasing, he had been furious. She could still remember his razor-sharp aura and icy gaze when he walked into the room while Doctor Tsunade bandaged up her hand. At first, she had been anxious to face him, but when she realized he was angry at the driver and not her, she had relaxed and explained the situation to him. Itachi still didn't look happy and she knew he didn't want her in the field, but he firmly kept his mouth shut. For that she was grateful and because of it, she used more caution when out in the field. If he wasn't going to press her about her decision then she would be more careful about her safety so he didn't have to worry.

Unconsciously Sakura's hand went to the necklace Itachi had given her nearly a year ago for Christmas. It was a simple piece of jewelry, but it meant more to her than anyone could ever know. The silver chain wrapped around her neck delicately and led to a small, beautifully crafted square stone of emerald that rested at the top of her cleavage. When Itachi had given it to her, Sakura could only stare at it in awe before Itachi pulled it from her grasp and clasped it around her neck with a small, knowing smirk. Sakura had yet to take it off and she knew that was he was aware she wore it as a promise she would come home safe every night.

"You know, you were smart for going back into the field," Ino suddenly said.

Sakura turned her attention away from her gun and fixed her gaze on Ino. "What do you mean?"

The blonde woman sighed as she grabbed Sakura's gun and pulled the new clip out before placing it back in uninterestedly. "Since Hyuuga two years ago, we haven't gotten any huge cases. It's just been kind of boring lately."

Sakura huffed in amusement and fingered her necklace absently as she drew one knee to her chest and rested her arm on it. "I'm sure something will come up soon."

Ino turned Sakura's gun over in her hands. "Yeah, but who knows if the Superintendent General will even put me on the case if one does."

Sakura snatched back her gun. "You were on Hyuuga's case. I'm sure you will be Itachi's first pick."

"Easy for you to say," Ino snorted. "You're the one screwing him."

Sakura grinned. "Well I can't argue with that."

"Argue with what?" a familiar voice asked.

Sakura almost laughed aloud when she saw Ino had nearly jumped out of her skin. Honestly Sakura was so used to her boyfriend appearing out of nowhere she had learned to expect it at the most unlikely of times. The first time he had used his appearing trick, she had been so startled, she nearly cut herself with the knife she was using to make dinner.

"Argue that I have better aim with a gun than Ino," Sakura said smoothly, lifting her gun for emphasis as she turned to face her boyfriend.

Itachi was standing less than three feet behind her, wearing a formal black suit. His crimson button-up shirt looked absolutely stunning against his gorgeous face and his black tie only emphasized his startlingly beautiful eyes. It was times like these that Sakura wondered what she did to capture the attention of someone so attractive and powerful. He was everything she could possibly want in a man.

"Ah," Itachi said, obviously not believing her. He didn't press though and instead turned to Ino. "Your assistance is required upstairs, Nara."

Slowly, Ino stood up and bowed. "Then excuse me, sir." Then she glanced at Sakura. "I'll see you later."

Sakura smiled from her spot on the chair. "I'll let you try and win this back later," she said, waving the money in the air.

Ino glared at her before she turned and walked away. Sakura was still grinning as Itachi took the seat Ino had been occupying moments before. He turned his attention to her and stared at her with those eyes that made her feel like she was the only thing in the world. Then she realized he was still curious as to what she and Ino had been talking about.

"What?" Sakura asked, still smiling slightly.

"What were you speaking to Nara about?" he asked smoothly.

Sakura shrugged. "Nothing really. Was there a reason you came down here?" she asked casually.

They both knew she was purposely changing the subject and she was somewhat surprised when Itachi let it go without a word. "I was looking for you."

"Congratulations. You found me," she said, gesturing to herself.

He was hardly put off by her sarcasm. He had been dealing with it for years from his younger brother and Chief Superintendent, Uchiha Sasuke, and his cousin and second-in-command, Uchiha Shisui, so he ignored her cynical words without a second thought. "Are you working late this evening?" he asked.

Sakura dropped her gun on the table and rested her arm on her knee again. "Yeah, I'm working Shiranui's shift tonight. He had some family emergency or something. I told him I'd cover." She paused and scrutinized him. "Why?" she asked slowly.

His smirk was almost invisible, but Sakura saw it. "No reason."

She knew he was lying, but he hadn't pressed her earlier so she wouldn't do so to him. Instead she picked up her gun again and cocked it. "Well if that's all you wanted, I was going to shoot a few more rounds before I had to leave."

Itachi gestured for her to continue. She eyed him for a moment before she stood, grabbing her earmuffs, and walked back into the shooting range. She could feel his eyes on her, but she blocked it out as she shot round after round, imagining each shot was a vital spot on Hyuuga Neji's body. She knew it was malicious, but the bastard did try to kill her and damn did it feel good to imagine him on the ground bleeding to death. It was her way of relieving stress.

Only when she was out of bullets did Sakura head back to the table to grab her things. Surprisingly Itachi was still sitting in the chair, watching her with sharp eyes. Sakura looked at him in confusion. "What?"

He didn't say a word as he stood and walked over to her. He stopped in front of her and looked down at her as his hands slid around her waist. He leaned down towards her, causing Sakura's eyes to automatically close, but his lips didn't meet hers. He stopped a hair's breadth away from her. "Have I ever told you how sexy you look holding a gun?" he murmured quietly against her lips.

"No," Sakura breathed.

She felt him smirk before he pressed his lips fully against hers. Eagerly she replied, but before it could get too heated, Itachi pulled back, his smirk widening when he saw the stars in her eyes. Sakura glared in response, but it quickly faded as he placed a quick kiss to her cheek. His fingers lightly traced the chain around her neck until they found the small emerald hiding in her button-up shirt. "Be safe," he murmured.

Those words had become a habit for him. Sakura could remember the first time he had said it to her two years ago. She had been in a horrible mood after visiting her psychiatrist and she had been heading back to the small apartment the police department had provided her with for the time being when she got a call from Sasuke. He asked if she was alright, which she had lied about and said she was, and right before she hung up Itachi had told her to be safe. She had been surprised to find she was on speaker phone with him, even if it was only after her short conversation with Sasuke.

Ever since that day, he made sure to say it to her before she left for her shift, even if she was still in bed and he was leaving for work or vice versa. But no matter what time it was or state of mind she was in she always replied the same. "You know I will be."

Quietly Itachi placed a chaste kiss to her neck on top of the scar she received the night Neji tried to kill her, before he left to continue his work. Sakura watched him leave, a soft smile on her face, before she turned and gathered her things to get ready for her shift.

* * *

It was well past midnight when Sakura passed Itachi's front gate and pulled into the driveway. Automatically she looked over at his black Mazda and began to pull into her usual spot next to his car only to stop when her headlights lit up two other cars parked alongside it.

With a small frown, Sakura pulled her car next to the white BMW and cast confused gazes at them as she walked past them to the front door. They looked oddly familiar.

Quietly Sakura opened the front door only to hesitate momentarily when she found practically every light in the house was on and there were quiet voices coming from the kitchen. Even more confused now, she discarded her shoes and followed the voices to find Itachi, Shisui and Sasuke were all sitting at the dining table drinking coffee as they discussed what appeared to be at least five profiles.

For a long moment, she stopped in the doorway and stared at them in surprise. Though, when they continued to stay oblivious to her presence, a small smile crossed her face. They were definitely family. Of three of them had beautiful dark hair and gorgeous obsidian eyes gifted to all Uchiha with strong jaws and high cheekbones. All of them were attractive in their own way no matter if they were half-asleep or if they had just thrown something on. Funny enough, Sakura hadn't realized until now that they were each wearing a different style of clothing that was almost opposite to their personality.

Even from her spot in the doorway, she could tell Itachi was wearing a pair of dark sweats and a nondescript white shirt. His hair was tied loosely and she frowned slightly when she realized his family members had probably pulled him out of bed. Sasuke, on the other hand, was in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt with a jean jacket thrown over the back of his chair. Strangely enough, Shisui was the most formally dressed in his grey suit and matching tie, making her wonder if he had just gotten off work before coming over.

A quiet huff of amusement escaped her. "And here I thought I was up late," she said in a rough voice.

Immediately the three men turned to look at her, each wearing a blank expression, well besides Shisui who looked at her funny. "Too much sex?"

Exasperated, she rolled her eyes. "Very funny. It's just a slight cold." She ventured further into the room and looked at the case files on the table. "What are you all doing so late at night?"

"We were just discussing a case," Sasuke answered as his eyes turned downwards to the cases.

Sakura rolled her eyes again. "Yes, I can see that."

Shisui gestured towards the empty chair next to him. "Would you like to join us?"

She stopped next to the table to get a better look at the files only to cringe when she noticed all of them were children between the ages of eight and thirteen. Quickly she shook her head. "I just got off work; I think I'll pass this time, but thanks."

Shisui shrugged at her answer and murmured quietly that she didn't know what she was missing, but she ignored him as she finally turned her attention to Itachi. He was sitting in his normal seat at the table – well the seat he sat at on the rare occasion when they actually had time to sit and eat at the table – and was watching her with a careful eye. It took her a moment to realize he was checking for injuries and she smiled warmly and bent down to kiss him lightly. "I'm fine," she murmured against his lips.

She felt his lips curve into the gentle smile he saved only for her as he wrapped an arm around her waist to draw her closer. It was only a moment longer before she heard Shisui clear his throat and Sasuke groan quietly. "We're still here."

Blindly Sakura reached out behind her and clapped her hands over Sasuke's eyes. "Do what we did as kids," Sakura said. "Close your eyes, stick your fingers in your ears and hum."

Shisui laughed at her response as Sasuke grabbed her wrist and forced her hand away from his face. Sakura looked at him over her shoulder and gave him a playful smile before she turned back to Itachi and gave him another short kiss before she straightened. "I'm going to shower and go to bed. Night."

Itachi nodded in acknowledgment and murmured a quiet good night before he returned his attention to the case files and the three resumed their conversation. Quickly Sakura made for the bedroom down the hall and more importantly the bathroom. She took a rather short shower, though the water was hot enough that when she got out the mirror was completely covered in steam. After she dried off, she changed into a fresh pair of panties and her favorite – and secretly Itachi's too – crimson, silk night gown that stopped just above her mid-thigh before she tied her hair into a knot atop her head. Then she walked into the bedroom only to stop when she found the room was empty. Exactly how late did they plan on staying up?

Sighing, Sakura walked out of the bedroom and back into the kitchen to find the three men were exactly where she had left them. With a roll of her eyes, she leaned against the doorway and sighed as they continued to speak quietly among one another.

Being the only one facing her, Shisui was the first to take notice of her and a small smirk crossed her face when all he did was stare with his mouth partial open. It wasn't long before Itachi and Sasuke sensed his gaze and they slowly glanced over their shoulders to see what had caught his attention. When they spotted her, Itachi's eyes darkened in appreciation while Sasuke's eyes widened and his cheeks took on a slightly pink hue.

"Do you all plan on working through the night or actually going to work tomorrow to debrief everyone?" Sakura asked half-seriously, half-sarcastically.

Shisui was the first to speak again. "Damn, Sakura, you get all dressed up just for us?"

She just smiled darkly at his comment. "I could always kick you this time."

For a moment she thought she saw him cringe in reflex to the memory of her punching him in the face after he made a crude comment about her ass on her first day of work, but his expression quickly cleared and he smiled as he pushed back his chair and stood up. "Well that's my cue to leave."

Sakura's dark smile turned into one of amusement as he retrieved his suit jacket from the back of the chair and pulled it on. Taking this as the end of their "meeting" as well, Sasuke gathered up the case files before he too stood and pulled his jacket off the back chair and slipped it on.

Shisui was the first to make his way towards the door with Itachi close behind him. Sakura began to follow the two to the door when she felt Sasuke suddenly grab her arm, stopping her. "Could I talk to you for a moment?"

She stared at him in confusion before she nodded. "Of course."

Silently she followed him a little ways away from the door, still in the room, but far enough away that the other two men couldn't hear their conversation. When he turned around to face her again, his serious expression worried her. "The case we were discussing – the Camera Killer – came from another police department," he explained. "A man has been kidnapping young girls and murdering them. He's been taunting police with photos of their dead bodies and giving an address on the back as a way to find their bodies. But recently the bodies have been showing up in Tokyo."

Sakura continued to stare at him in confusion. "I don't understand. Why are you telling me this now and not tomorrow?"

Sasuke cast a glance towards Itachi and Shisui to see they were watching them and he lowered his voice. "This case is coming from the Kanazawa department."

Her eyes widened slightly. "On the west coast?"

He nodded. "The officers on the case are going to be coming to help with the investigation."

Sakura swore she felt her heart jump a beat as she took in the information. "Who?"

The youngest Uchiha shrugged almost helplessly. "I don't know, but I thought I should tell you now just in case."

Absentmindedly Sakura nodded her thanks and watched as he joined Shisui at the door before the duo left. Quietly Itachi shut and locked the door behind them before he approached her. His expression was confused when he looked at her. "Are you alright, Sakura? You look as if you are going into shock."

Quickly Sakura shook her head, clearing it. _Besides what are the chances?_ she thought. "No, I'm fine," she said with a small smile just before the clock in the corner chimed, signaling it was one in the morning. She took his hand and started to pull him towards the bedroom. "Can we sleep now?"

He smirked slightly as he followed her into the bedroom. "You should know by now we aren't going to sleep first when you wear that outfit to bed."

She opened her mouth to ask him what he meant, but a sharp squeal escaped her lips when he suddenly picked her up and strode towards the bedroom. He kicked the door closed behind them before he walked towards the bed and playfully dropped her on top of it. She laughed softly as he leaned down to kiss her throat. "You know, I don't think I actually have worn this to bed yet," she said as a moan threatened to escape her lips.

Itachi's smirk widened. "Then we should not break the tradition."

Sakura laughed again before his lips collided with hers and his hands slipped under the nightgown as he proceeded to keep them wide awake for the next hour.

* * *

Surprisingly Sakura made it to work almost a half an hour earlier than she needed to be. The only reason she had even come early was because she knew that if she hadn't forced herself to get out of bed, she would just be lying around in bed napping and relaxing, which wasn't as nice when Itachi wasn't there with her.

Of course she would have been there even earlier, but the little coffeehouse on her way to work was just calling her name and she stopped to get some before continuing her daily drive to the department. In the long run, she was glad she had stopped to get some. It tasted surprisingly good; so good in fact that she almost missed the important details that nearly half of the people who worked on the top floor were missing.

Puzzled, Sakura stopped and gazed around in confusion. She glanced towards Ino's desk to see if maybe she could ask her what everyone was doing only to see her chair was vacant as well. Then her eyes landed on Shikamaru's followed by Genma, Kakashi and Naruto. Everyone was gone.

 _That's strange,_ Sakura thought.

Shrugging to herself, she turned around to head to her lab to check if anything new had been given to her in her time off, only to be stopped by a loud screech that pierced her ears before she was almost tackled to the ground from behind. Immediately Sakura tried to pry the person off, but with one hand holding a coffee cup steady to keep it from spilling she only managed to turn around in the person's arms. Who she saw made her own shriek briefly fill the air. "Temari!" Sakura screamed as she threw her arms around the older woman without spilling her coffee.

The blonde woman returned her tight hug for a moment before they pulled away to hold the other at arm's length. "I've missed you so much," Temari said.

Sakura's smile widened. "If you've missed me, you know I've missed you."

Temari grinned at her statement before she looked her up once. "You look good."

Sakura's smile widened as she gave her friend a onceover as well. The blonde woman was still about a head taller than her and her confidence was just as strong as before with that playful glint in her eyes. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled back into her four ponytails and there was still a light lining of eyeliner around her brilliant green eyes. Today, she was donning a simple pair of plain jeans and a tucked in, button-up shirt but through the material, Sakura could see a difference.

"You lost weight," she stated.

Temari's smile widened. "Glad you noticed."

For a minute, the girls just stared at each other with their own grin before they eventually released one another to look at the rest of the people walking out of the conference room. Only a couple of moments passed before Temari's closest friends, Gaara and Kankuro, walked out. Upon spotting her as well, Kankuro raced up to her side and hugged her while Gaara took his time and hugged her a little looser. She smiled to herself that even after all these years Gaara was still less social towards her than his best friends even after everything they had been through in college. Though in all honesty, she was surprised he had hugged her at all.

At seeing them, Sakura wanted to skip work and just got out to lunch or something with them. It had been so long since the last time she had seen all of them and she wanted to catch up so badly. How long had it been anyway? At least since she quit her job at the Kanazawa department. That would mean since–.

Slowly Sakura looked towards the conference room just as another person walked through the doors. Her fingers tighten around her cup and her breath caught as a hard lump formed in her throat. She tried to swallow but the feeling didn't go away and she ended up holding her breath as her entire body stiffened.

Inuzuka Kiba.

He looked no different than the last time she had seen him over five years ago. His dark eyes were shining and his dark brown hair was as messy and unkempt as she remembered. The twin, triangular tattoos on his cheeks were still visible and he still had the thing she hated the most: that arrogant smirk that showed off his unusually long canine teeth. Even now it made her skin crawl.

Against her will, Sakura began trembling slightly and she ground her teeth together as he smiled sweetly at her and started towards her. Fortunately, before he could reach her, she heard Itachi call her name from across the room. She glanced towards the conference room to see he was watching her. She nodded once to tell him she was coming before he walked back inside. Then she turned her attention back to Temari. The blonde woman just smiled in understanding at her before she turned to intercept Kiba.

Only once she was inside the conference room was she able to breathe normally again. Though, she was still trying to calm her racing heart and her hands were still shaking bad enough that Sakura had to set down her coffee so she didn't spill it. Not that it mattered. She didn't think she would be able to drink it anyway.

Taking a small, even breath, Sakura fixed her attention on her superiors. Sasuke and Shisui were bent over the head table with a file in front of them while Itachi was leaning against another table, reading another file in hand. Each was wearing a look of utter concentration on their face but after a moment Itachi pulled his gaze up from his file to look at her. "Those are yours," he said.

Confused, Sakura followed the direction of his nod to a table in the corner. Her eyes narrowed further when she saw eight evidence boxes we piled on the metal tabletop. For a moment, Sakura just stared at them before she turned back to Itachi. "How do you figure?"

He gave her a blank stare. "You are our forensic scientist."

She threw him a look. "I'm a field agent."

"And our forensic scientist," he countered.

"Whose job is to currently perform in the field," she retorted, crossing her arms.

A smirk fell across Itachi's lips as he lowered the file in his hands. "I can make it an order."

She snorted out her nose as Sasuke and Shisui looked up and glanced at each other. Their expressions mirrored the other's but Sakura ignored them as she glared half-heartedly at Itachi. "You could have just asked."

His smirk didn't falter. "Sakura, would you be so kind as to process this evidence?"

She rolled her eyes at him but there was a smile slowly betraying her amusement. "You owe me one."

"I'll give you several tonight," he replied with a sly smirk

Sasuke cleared his throat loudly. "We're still here. Could you please save the sex talk until you're alone?" he said somewhat seriously.

Sakura smiled at him in amusement. She still found it funny that Sasuke was somehow always present when she and Itachi jabbed at their sex life. A quiet laugh escaped her before she grew serious and she turned her attention back to the boxes. "You want me to process all of them?"

Itachi nodded once as his own amusement faded into some more serious. "Yes."

Her eyes ran over each box individually before returning to the three men in front of her. "You do know I'm only one person, right?"

She saw the way Itachi raised an eyebrow at her as he closed his file but kept the page marked with his finger. "Are you saying you are incapable of doing your job?" Sakura glared at him half-heartedly as Sasuke and Shisui glanced at one another again. Finally Itachi gave her some relief as straightened slightly. "How long do you think these will take you?"

She frowned in thought. "Five days, give or take."

Itachi frowned. "Do you think you would be able to get it done before that?"

Sakura took a glance at the boxes again and shook her head lightly. "You'd have a better chance of getting Sasuke to wear a Speedo to church."

A small snort escaped Shisui as Itachi raised an eyebrow. Sasuke glared at her. "I don't go to church."

Shisui shot his youngest cousin a look. "That's the only part of that sentence that bothered you?"

The glare on Sasuke's face darkened but before he could speak, Itachi nodded. "Very well. I'll get an officer to help you carry these then you can meet with Inuzuka Kiba to debrief you; he's the lead investigator."

At the sound of his name, Sakura's eyes widened. His smirk flashed across her mind's eye and she opened her mouth to argue when Sasuke spoke. "No, Inuzuka-san will be much too busy. I'm sure Temari-san or Gaara-san are more than capable of doing so."

If Itachi's eyes hadn't been trained on her, she would have let out a huge sigh of relief. Instead she kept her expression as clear as possible as she stared at both him and Sasuke casually. Eventually Itachi nodded before he dismissed her. She flashed her lover a quick smile before she made towards the boxes. On her way out, her gaze turned to Sasuke and she gave him a small, grateful look. He glanced at her out of the corner of her eyes and nodded in understanding before she disappeared out the door and into her lab.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two  
The Evidence

It was nearly nine at night when Sakura heard the elevator door ding quietly. She'd been in her lab for so many years that she could practically hear the person the moment they stepped out onto the concrete floor. Any moment now, someone was either going to enter her lab or go into autopsy. From the quiet steps outside her door, she knew it was her lab.

Quietly Sakura looked up from the evidence she was working on and turned in her chair slightly just as Itachi walked through. She smiled tiredly at him as he walked up to her and greeted her with a quick kiss to the side of her forehead. "Have you found anything?" he asked quietly.

Sakura's smile widened when Itachi didn't move away from her. He kept his arms on either side of her as he looked over her shoulder at her work. She too glanced down at her work and shook her head as her smile faded. "Not yet. The Kanazawa department was surprisingly thorough."

Itachi didn't reply. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes to see he had picked his head up to look at her computer screen as she ran a scan of a fingerprint through AFIS. Silently, they watched the images of fingerprints flash by until a machine in the corner beeped, grabbing Sakura's attention.

Carefully she slipped out of Itachi's arms and walked over to pick up the paper. She pulled her glasses off to top of her head and read the information. She frowned. It was the exact same results the other department had found.

With a soft sigh, Sakura pulled on another pair of gloves before she grabbed another bag of evidence from one of the boxes and sat down at her table. She opened the sealed plastic and carefully scrapped off some blood samples before she dished it into a small tube. For a long moment, she forgot Itachi was in the room with her. She just continued to work until she heard him shift. Slowly, she turned her gaze back to him to see he was just watching at her as she worked. "What?" she asked self-consciously.

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly before he approached her and bent down to capture her lips in slow, loving kiss. When he pulled back, Sakura followed his lips slightly, not ready to break the kiss, and she quickly opened her eyes to see he was watching at her with a small smirk. She frowned slightly at his expression but it quickly changed to a smile when he leaned down as placed another short kiss to her forehead. "I will see you when you're done working."

"Okay," she murmured. She smiled at him as he turned and left her to work again. She wished she could leave now, but she wanted to get through the next box before she left.

Unfortunately, she didn't realize how much evidence was left and she found herself nodding off until she eventually gave in and rested her head on her arms and drifted off.

* * *

"If I were you, I would wake up. That position looks highly uncomfortable."

At the sound of someone else in her lab Sakura bolted upright from her bent over position on her table. She blinked hard against the morning light that spilled in from the windows and focused on the person in front of her. It was Sasuke.

"I wasn't sleeping," Sakura said quickly, blinking the sleep from her eyes. Then she looked at the clock. It was past eight in the morning. "Okay, maybe I was," she murmured. With a soft sigh, she turned in her seat and cracked her back before she rubbed her eyes, smearing her already smudged make-up.

"Here, drink this," Sasuke said as he placed something in front of her.

She stopped rubbing her eyes and opened them to find a cup of coffee was sitting in front of her. She snatched it up and drank from it greedily, moaning in the back of her throat in content. "Sasuke, you're a lifesaver."

He made a noncommittal sound before he took a sip from his own cup of coffee and turned to her computer screen. "It looks like you didn't get a match," he commented.

At the sound of his voice, Sakura looked at him. He was standing in front of her computer, looking at the screen. Quietly, she stood up and joined him, grabbing her coffee on the way. When she saw the lack of a fingerprint match, she shrugged. "I'm not really that surprised. Kanazawa didn't get a match either."

The corner of Sasuke's mouth turned down. "Have you found anything new?"

Sakura gave him a hard look. "I told you yesterday I'm only one person. I almost made it through two boxes. That's pretty damn good if you ask me."

He sighed slightly before he took another sip. "Itachi's not going to like that."

At the sound of her lover's name, her eyes widened. She clapped a hand over her forehead and dragged it down her face. "Oh shit."

"What?" Sasuke asked, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"I told Itachi I would go over to his house after work," she replied, with a soft sigh.

Sasuke shrugged. "So?"

She sent him a look. "I never left work."

He just shrugged again. "Itachi won't care that much. We just started a combined case and everyone is busy. If he gets pissed that's his problem."

Sakura tried to look mad, but a small smile was forming on her lips giving away her amusement. "Why are you here anyway?"

The corner of his mouth pulled up into a small smirk as he lifted his coffee to his lips again. "I came to get you. We have another meeting to report our findings."

Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "How did you know I was here?"

"You didn't answer your phone. I figured you were either here or with Itachi and I knew Itachi would get you there."

A small blush formed on Sakura's cheeks at the implication of his words, but she tried her best to push it down as she gathered her papers together. Once she was sure she had everything, she followed him to the elevator and into the meeting room. When she walked in, she kept her gaze averted from Itachi. Quickly she took a seat next to Ino and sat patiently until the meeting began.

With the lack of leads, the meeting had passed fairly quickly. After Itachi dismissed everyone, she made her way back to her lab and continued where she had left the night before. And not before long, it seemed as if right before her eyes, night had fallen again. She had wiped her make-up off hours ago so when the clock struck ten, she didn't worried about smearing her mascara as she tried to rub the sleep away. She was working through her fifth box when she heard the elevator ding quietly. A small smile immediately formed on her lips when she remembered Itachi had come to see her the night before. She hadn't seen much of him today.

In fact, Sakura hadn't seen Itachi at all today, not counting the morning meeting. She had been stuck in her lab and him upstairs doing god knows what. He had even been too busy to even stop and scold her about not leaving the night before, which in a way she was happy for but also slightly worried. Nonetheless, she had hoped Itachi would come and see her again before he left. She could still remember the feeling of his lips on hers and how he had kissed her the night before. That simple sound of the elevator sent it all rushing back to her and she looked up with a bright smile. Only it wasn't Itachi that was standing in front of her. Surprised, she just stared.

"Temari."

The blonde woman smiled. "Hey, Sakura. I thought you might still be here."

Sakura set down the evidence she was working with and gave her full attention to her friend. "Was there something you needed?"

Temari just shook her head. "I just wanted to stop and talk with you for a little while, but it looks like you're still a busy."

The pink-haired women nodded slightly. "Well that's what happens when your supervisors believe you can do anything."

Temari laughed and nodded. "I agree."

Sakura's amusement faded and she looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

Temari gave her a sly smile as she took a seat on the stool across from her. "C'mon, Sakura, you haven't noticed yet." Sakura shook her head once, causing the blonde to sigh. "I'm a forensic scientist now too."

Immediately Sakura dropped her attention from the woman in front of her to the evidence bag she was holding. Sure enough, Temari's name was signed as the last person to have possession of the evidence. "You became a forensic scientist?"

Temari nodded. "After you left I decided to become one. You seemed so passionate about it at the time. It kind of made me want to give it a try. So I went to school for a couple of years and found that I liked it."

Sakura smiled. "Fun, isn't it?"

She nodded. "Well, when you're not expected to be God and do everything within fifteen minutes."

That caused both women to laugh. Sakura smiled brightly at her old friend, reveling in the feeling of having a good laugh with someone else for the first in awhile. She almost missed the figure in the doorway as they entered. Slowly Sakura's laughter died down as she turned to see who had walked in. "Hey, Ino," she greeted. "Did you need something?"

For a long moment, Ino looked from Sakura to Temari before she shook her head once. "No, never mind," she said slowly. "It's nothing."

Sakura frowned slightly. Ino told her everything and something in her voice made her worry. "Are you sure?"

Ino nodded again. "Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow." Then she left again.

Confused, Sakura watched her best friend leave without a backward glance before she turned to Temari as she stood. "Well, I should probably let you get back to work."

Sakura sighed slightly. "Are you sure you don't want to stay and help?"

Temari smirked before she shrugged. "I probably would help you if I was allowed to." When Sakura looked at her in confusion she continued. "The original scientist can't review evidence the second time through."

She could have rolled her eyes at that. How could she forget? After all, Temari did say that she was the one to examine it. "Right," Sakura said regretfully.

The blonde woman gave her a bright smile before she waved and bounded for the door. On her way out, she stopped and turned back to Sakura. "Don't work too late."

Sakura made a small noise of sarcasm in the back of her throat before Temari left, leaving Sakura to work. She gave the full box of evidence a hard glare before she returned to the piece she was working with.

For hours Sakura worked with the pre-reviewed evidence. She reexamined bullet case after bullet case and more blood samples than she swore she had ever seen in her life. She worked late into the night but at some point she realized she must've fallen asleep when she heard footsteps stop next to her head.

"Well at least you look a little more comfortable this time," Sasuke said.

Slowly, Sakura opened her eyes to find a pair of shoes in front of her. Tiredly, she pushed herself up and looked around. She had been curled up on the floor among the boxes of evidence while she used her lab coat as a pillow. A quiet groan sounded in the back of her throat. "I really need to stop doing this."

Sasuke snorted as he handed her a large cup of coffee. "I agree. You do realize Itachi is going to have your ass this time, right?"

Sakura let her head fall into her hand before she stared up at Sasuke. "He didn't say anything yesterday; how bad do you think it's going to be?"

The youngest Uchiha simply shrugged. "Depends, did you find anything?" Sorrowfully she shook her head. Sasuke breathed out his nose sharply as he took a sip of his own coffee. "Well good luck with him."

Sakura greedily took a large gulp of coffee before she turned back to Sasuke. "Do you think if I put on that little, red night dress he'll forget about it?"

The look Sasuke gave her would have made her laugh in any other situation, but the thought of facing Itachi right now was blocking her usual amusement. She just shook her head as she held up her hand for Sasuke to grab. He looked at it for a second before he helped her stand. "Forget I said anything," she murmured as she gathered, yet again, more useless papers.

Together they headed towards the elevator and rode it up, all the while drinking their coffee.

When they entered the conference room, Sakura tried to avoid looking at absolutely everyone. Yesterday, no one had commented on the fact she hadn't gone home and today she was sure someone would say something. Fortunately no one did as the meeting continued much like it did yesterday. Everyone reported their findings, or lack thereof. When Shisui asked her for her report, she just shook her head, silently telling him her findings were no better than anyone else's.

When Itachi finally called the meeting to a close, Sakura sighed out in relief. She grabbed her useless papers and lukewarm coffee, and began to follow Ino out of the room to see what she had wanted the night before when she was called back. "Sakura, I need to talk to you."

Sakura slowly came to a stop and she closed her eyes slowly as she clenched her teeth together. "Of course you do," she murmured under her breath before she turned back to Itachi. Sasuke was the last one to leave the room, sending her a look that did nothing to settle her nerves, which she realized she shouldn't even have in the first place. This was _her_ Itachi.

…Or was it her boss Itachi?

Slowly Sakura turned her attention to Itachi to see he didn't look happy. "You stayed here," he said quietly.

Sakura shrugged slightly. "I've had work to do."

His expression didn't change except for the small curve of a frown on his lips. "You know better than to stay overnight."

She gave him a disbelieving look before she set her coffee down on one of the tables and leaned her hips back against the edge. "Excuse me? You were the one who wanted me to get the evidence reanalyzed as quickly as possible."

His frown deepened and she saw his eyes darken slightly in disapproval. "Sakura, you know I did not mean that you needed to stay up to get it done."

"Besides," Sakura continued, completely ignoring he had said anything at all, "how many times have you stayed overnight?"

Itachi gave her a hard look. "That is not relevant to this conversation."

Sakura's lips curved into a bitter smile. "Of course not."

Suddenly Itachi sighed heavily as his eyes looked at her in exhaustion. "Sakura, please do not do this. I am already under stress from this case and I do not want to have to worry about you in the process."

Sakura matched his sigh with one of her own as she pushed herself off the side of the table to walk up to him. She gave him another small smile before she placed her hands on his hips and looked up at him. "I'm sorry. I promise I'll take care of myself, alright? That way you don't have to."

Itachi leaned back against the table like she had done earlier to be at her height as he placed his hands over hers. "You make it sound as if I do not like taking care of you."

His words made her heart flutter for a moment before she leaned into him and smiled. "I just don't want you to. At least not now; not with everything going on," she said quietly.

Itachi took that moment to tangle his fingers into her hair and pull her closer. She closed her eyes, expecting her lips to meet his, but he stopped halfway to her mouth. "You make me worry."

Without opening her eyes, Sakura stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Sorry," she murmured. Then she tilted her head up and met his lips gently. It was a short but sweet kiss and when Sakura pulled away, she was smiling. "I promise not to fall asleep here tonight, okay?" she said quietly with a last kiss to his cheek.

A small smile curved onto Itachi's lips and he nodded as he stood up straight to smooth out the invisible creases Sakura made on his suit pants. "Do not work too hard," he said good-naturedly.

Sakura's smile widened. Then she turned towards the door only for her smile to vanish when she found herself face-to-face with Kiba. Automatically her heart tried to jump out of her chest and her breath caught in her throat. She was close enough that she could feel his warmth seep into her own skin. Quickly she brushed past him, making sure to step far enough away from him that not even their clothes touched. Only once she was back in her lab was she able to breathe normally again.

For the remainder of the day, Sakura hid away in her lab in hopes of finishing reanalyzing the evidence, but in the back of her mind, she knew it was mostly to avoid Kiba. It had been years since she last saw him – about five to be exact – and though she had grown mentally and emotionally since then just the sight of him brought her back to the desperate girl she used to be in her early twenties. The fact that he could weaken her just by his presence was what kept Sakura from leaving her lab, even for lunch. That and she didn't want her deepest and best kept secret to become revealed to anyone, especially Itachi. She would willingly tell him about her parents and her lonely and depressing childhood, but the moment it came to _him_ , her lips were sealed, even to those who knew about it.

Unfortunately Sakura had only made it until about three in the afternoon before Itachi called her. She could hear the worry in his voice but she ignored it as she turned her attention to the work she still had left. "Come up to my office. I have lunch."

Sakura sighed quietly. "Itachi, I still have work to finish."

The authority in his voice didn't waver. "Sakura, you have yet to take a break."

For a moment, she contemplated his words. She knew if she didn't go to him he would come to her, but she really didn't want to leave the sanctuary of her lab. So she was willing to take the risk. "I know, but I'm really busy."

"No, now," he replied.

"But-."

"Sakura," Itachi interrupted. She could practically see his this-argument-is-over expression. "As you said before, you are only one person. Now, you have the choice of joining me or I will have security come and escort you."

 _Damn_ , Sakura thought. She forgot Itachi knew how to bargain. _Or demand,_ she added mentally as an after-thought. She remembered once Itachi had an officer escort her to his office. It had been an ugly fight, but ended in wonderful sex. Now she was trying to figure out if the sex would be worth the risk.

"Are you going to make me decide?"

With a deep sigh, Sakura stood up from her stool and glanced at the clock. "Give me ten minutes."

On the other end, there was a quiet triumphant huff before the line went dead. For a moment Sakura glared at her phone but then a small smile fell across her lips before she slid it closed and shoved it in her pocket. Quickly, she organized her evidence before she left, heading for the stairs.

Unsurprisingly, she didn't pass anyone in the stairwell on her way to the highest floor and made a beeline to Itachi's office while drawing as little attention to herself as possible. When she reached his door, she knocked once and waited for his call before she let herself in, closing the door firmly behind her.

Her action caused Itachi to stare at her curiously from his place on his small office couch. "You look as if you are avoiding someone."

Half a second passed with Sakura staring at Itachi with wide eyes full of guilt and fear before she relaxed when she realized Itachi was just making a statement rather than accusing her. Quickly she traded her expression for one with a soft smile before she joined him. "And who would I be avoiding?" she asked.

The corner of Itachi's mouth lifted into a small smirk as he reached down to pull a carton of take-out food into view. Sakura's mouth watered as the smell reached her and she couldn't help but lean in closer as Itachi handed her a pair of chopsticks and opened the box to reveal her favorite food: shrimp tempura.

Then he pulled out another carton for himself before he rested against the back of the couch. "Perhaps Ino?" he suggested quietly. "It appears that you two are fighting."

Sakura had already picked up a shrimp and was about to put it in her mouth when he spoke. His words caused her to stop as she remembered Ino had come to her lab last night and had left quickly afterwards without so much as an explanation. And she hadn't seen her today. When Sakura overworked herself like she was now, Itachi wasn't the only one to voice his displeasure. Ino was usually right next to him, chastising her as well. Did she do something she didn't realize?

"Sakura," Itachi suddenly said.

Slowly Sakura dragged her gaze up to her lover to see he was staring at her worriedly. "Yes?" she asked quietly.

"Are you and Ino fighting?"

Sakura glanced at him and shook her head before she turned her attention back to the food in front of her. "No, we're fine."

Itachi watched her for a moment before he accepted her answer and returned to his meal.

As they ate, they spoke mostly about the case and a few other trivial, insignificant topics. At some point, Sakura had leaned back against the couch, copying Itachi's relaxed position, and leaned against his shoulder. He was the first to finish eating – as he always was – but he continued to sit and chat with her as she finished her meal. His fingers had found their way into her hair at some point and the constant, soothing motion was making Sakura's eyes heavier quicker than usual with her lack of sleep.

When she finished her meal, Sakura leaned even further into her lover's arms and listened as he spoke about what he had been up to for the past few days. She nodded and murmured noncommittal things to show she was listening but as the strength to even reply began waning from her, she gently smacked his hand away and sat up to rub the sleep from her eyes. "Are you trying to make me fall asleep?" she asked. She tried to sound annoyed, but a yawn interrupted her mid-sentence, making her lose her aggression.

Itachi just smirked at her. "Perhaps. It has been awhile since you actually slept in a bed."

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "This is a couch."

He shrugged gracefully before he stood, grabbing both of their garbage on the way. "It is better than the floor, wouldn't you say?"

She glared half-heartedly. "Hey, don't you diss my floor."

All she got was a huff of amusement and an eye roll before he grabbed her hand and pulled her up to kiss her briefly on the lips. "I would say do not work too hard, but you seem to ignore everything I say."

Sakura smiled. "I don't ignore everything you say."

He nodded slightly. "Mostly everything I say," he corrected.

She laughed lightly at him before she reached up and kissed him on the corner of his mouth. Then she headed for the door, thanking him for lunch on her way out.

The feeling Sakura had as she took the elevator down to her lab could almost be described as bliss. There was a small smile on her face and a certain warmth in her chest she only got after having spent time with Itachi. That lunch had made her feel better than she had since the case began. So good in fact she almost missed the figure standing in her lab as she entered.

"I was wondering where you went."

Sakura snapped her head towards the speaker immediately and she felt her skin prickle uncomfortably as she watched Kiba walk around her main table to approach her. Her shoulders tensed as her lungs filled with air and held it. "Why are you here?" Sakura asked tightly.

Kiba gave her one of his heart-melting smiles as he stepped towards her. "I'm the lead investigator of the Camera Killer case."

Sakura sucked in a sharp breath as she stepped back and away from Kiba. "No. Why are you here? In my lab?"

His smile widened as he walked around her lab, looking at all the gadgets and machinery around the room. "I just came to see you, Sakura. We didn't get the chance to talk earlier and it's been so long since the last time we saw each other."

Her body began to tremble slightly as he stopped and turned back to her. Unconsciously she crossed her arms over her chest in a protective stance. "There's nothing to talk about."

Kiba just smiled at her sweetly. "Yes there is. What about what happened between us? You left without a word."

Sakura stared at him in disbelief. "For good reason! You have no right to expect anything from me after you-!" She cut off abruptly as he stepped in front of her and grabbed her wrist in a bruising grip. "Get off of me," she hissed.

"And what if I don't?" he said smugly, a dangerous smile curling onto his lips. "Are you going to make your big, strong boyfriend do something?"

Her glare darkened at his mocking words and her hand curled into a fist. She wanted nothing more than to punch his smirk right off his face, but she couldn't start a fight with him. There were too many things going on right now. "I don't need him to protect myself from you," she snarled.

"Then prove it," he hissed. "Show me that you're not still that pathetic woman I used to play with."

Sakura's breath hitched in anger at his words. _Used to play with?_ She was only nineteen fucking years old. How the hell was she supposed to know she wasn't in love with him? How the hell was she supposed to know what it felt like to get used?

With a growl of rage, Sakura smacked him so hard that she heard his neck crack. His hand released her wrist abruptly, allowing for her to clench it into a tight fist at her side. A long moment passed in silence. Then Kiba turned his face back to look at her, purposefully cracking his neck on the way. His glare was deadly and it made her want to step away from him, but she forced herself not to back down. After all, she wasn't nineteen anymore.

Suddenly he was furious, but he simply smiled at her sickeningly. "So this is the Sakura that's dating the Superintendent General," he said condescendingly. "I must say as to how you attracted his attention I have no idea." He smiled wickedly at her. "I really am impressed, but he should know that you're not worth it – any of it."

A hard lump formed in Sakura's throat and she tried desperately to swallow it without success. "Don't get him involved," she said as fiercely as she could. "This has nothing to do with him."

Kiba only shrugged. "I suppose it doesn't matter if he finds out how worthless you are or not. I'll find a way to ruin your relationship. Don't worry."

Then he turned around and swept out of the room, leaving Sakura feeling a mix between anger and horror. Her body began to tremble all over again and she held her breath to keep down the sobs that were threatening to start. She knew that if Kiba tried hard enough, he could ruin her relationship with Itachi and she couldn't have that. Itachi was the best thing to ever happen to her. But Kiba loved to play with her and somewhere in the back of her mind, she was sure that his little game would end in her self-destruction. And the worst part was Itachi would be there to witness it.

Briefly, Sakura closed her eyes, trying to keep the tears at bay. She had fought to stay strong in front of Kiba, but that strength was quickly disappearing and she needed to find a private place where no one could just walk in on her while she fell apart. The showers were the first place that came to mind.

Quickly Sakura headed into the back of her lab to grab a towel. Maybe in the process she could clear her head.

"Hey, Sakura."

Startled, Sakura whipped around and stared at Ino with wide eyes. When she realized it was just her best friend, she relaxed her tense stance and reached for her towel again. "Did you need something, Ino?"

Her blonde friend looked at her for a long moment. "Are you alright? You look a little shaken up."

Sakura just shook her head without looking at her. She walked to the back of her lab and pulled out the bag she kept all her spare clothes in. "I'm fine. I was just going to shower."

Ino looked as if she wanted to say more, but after the experience Sakura just went through with Kiba, she just wanted to get away. So she ignored it. There was a flash of what looked like disappointment in Ino's eyes but she quickly replaced it with a smile. "I guess I'll talk to you later then-."

"Yeah," Sakura said so quickly she overlapped Ino. Then she picked up her towel and threw her bag over her shoulder. She barely spared a glance at Ino as she hurried out of her lab and towards the showers.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three  
The Package

Almost three hours later, Sakura was back in her lab, scanning through more evidence with a cup of coffee and a pounding headache. It was nearly midnight, but she was far from tired. In fact, her earlier confrontation with Kiba was the only thing keeping her from going home. She didn't want to talk to Itachi; he would know something was wrong immediately. So for now, work was her only escape and she was going to keep going until the morning. Plus, the fact that she only had one more box to go kept her going.

The sun rose slowly in Sakura window hours later, but she hardly noticed as she shuffled through pictures from crime scenes. It was the last of the evidence and somehow she found the whole thing relaxing even if the pictures were mostly gruesome. It was a change from constantly getting up and down, and moving back and forth between tables to reexamine evidence.

With a soft sigh, Sakura rested her head on her hand and pushed her glasses further onto her nose as she stared at a picture of one of the captured children. It was one of the photos the serial killer had sent to the Kanazawa department. Temari's report said that on the back of the photos, there were two different styles of handwriting but they were similar. She had theorized that the killer was ambidextrous, making him harder to locate.

The photo in Sakura's hand showed a fifteen-year-old girl with her hands tied behind her back, her mouth was gagged, and there was blood everywhere. Sakura frowned sadly at the picture of the young girl before she picked the photo up and moved it into the pile she had already looked at. But something made her stop at the last minute. There was something wrong with the picture. She wasn't entirely sure what it was, but there was definitely something off about the image. It was very possible it could be the fact Sakura hadn't had a good night's sleep in three days, but the more she stared at it, the more it bothered her.

Then it hit her.

Next to the door the bloodied girl was leaning against was a spider web with a certain spider in the center. It was a Redback spider. They were known only to inhabit the east coast not the west. Slowly a smile spread across Sakura's face. She had finally found her break!

Quickly Sakura jumped up and raced across her lab to grab her phone. She punched in Sasuke's number as quickly as she could and waited impatiently for him to answer. When the ringing finally stopped, she opened her mouth to tell him what she found, only to stop when he spoke.

"Shisui, just tell him to get what he can and we can figure out what to do from there," Sasuke said slowly.

She heard his cousin sigh loudly in the background. "Alright, but he's not going to like it."

Normally Sakura would have patiently waited for him to continue, but with lack of sleep and her own personal excitement at finding something, she couldn't stop herself from interrupting. "Uchiha Sasuke!" she shouted into her phone.

Even without being in the same room, she knew Sasuke had jumped in surprise. He took a deep breath before he spoke. "Yes, Sakura?"

"I found something," she said excitedly, completely ignoring the way Sasuke acknowledged her carelessly. "In the last evidence box, I found a stack of the pictures the killer has been sending to the police and I was going through them and I found something-."

"Whoa, slow down, Sakura," Sasuke interrupted. "I can't understand you when you talk that fast."

Just then the mailman, Yakushi Kabuto, walked in carrying a medium sized box about half the size of one of her evidence boxes. Through his glasses, he looked at her expectantly like he always did when he came in and she was on the phone. She smiled at him and gestured to her main table before she signed his pad and turned her attention back to Sasuke. "In one of the pictures I found a spider. It's called a Redback spider. They're only found on the east coast of Japan, but when they received the picture, they were still getting bodies on the west."

Sasuke hesitated. "So what does that mean?"

Sakura sighed good-naturedly as she turned to the recently delivered box on her table. "It means that the killer has been on the east longer than we thought."

"Then how were bodies still being found on the west?" he asked.

"If you look at the reports, the bodies we've been finding have been too…damaged to identify properly. They might be completely different bodies all together," she explained as she pulled out a white, non-descript cylindrical container out of the box. She looked at it curiously, searching for any biohazard sticker as Sasuke spoke. "So what? The bodies were already there?"

She shrugged to herself. "Either that or we have an accomplice."

Sasuke sighed. "Two? One serial killer is already bad enough. And I don't want everyone thinking we have two until I have proof, alright? I'm not trying to say what you found isn't really great work, Sakura, but I think we need more than just a spider to announce two killers."

"Alright, I'll keep looking, but-." Sakura cut off abruptly as she finally pulled open the lid of the container to find it filled to the brim with blood. Her eyes widened and she sucked in a deep breath as the blood splashed the corner of her sleeve.

Then a loud, earsplitting shriek ripped out of her throat as she jerked back, dropping her phone and losing her grip on the white bucket. It crashed to the floor and sent blood splattering in every direction. Her screams only seemed to get louder as a human heart slipped out of the mouth of the container.

She stepped backwards to avoid it, but the blood made the floor slick and she slipped. She landed on her wrist and lower back hard with a sharp cry, but even with the throbbing pain, she continued to scramble backwards. Her screams filled the air until her back finally hit the far wall and she finally drew in a deep breath. Slowly Sakura stared around her once perfectly white floor with wide eyes before she picked her hands up and saw the blood coating them. She gasped quietly and rubbed her hands against the floor, desperate to get the red liquid off. When she brought them back to her face and saw they were still smeared with the blood, she ran her hands against the already stained fabric of her lab coat.

And suddenly her eyes caught sight of the heart again. Her breath stopped in her throat and she felt tears slowly bubble to her eyes as she realized just how _fresh_ the heart looked. It looked like it had just been cut out of someone's chest, and that's what bothered her the most – even more so than the blood. There had been no hazard stickers or warning labels; someone had meant to surprise her with this.

Suddenly the door to her lab slammed opened and Sasuke followed by an entire armed team rushed inside, obviously expecting an intruder. "Sakura!" Sasuke called. She looked up just as he dropped down next to her. "What happened? Are you alright?"

Sakura nodded numbly, turning her eyes back to the heart. "Why…why would someone send that to me?" she practically cried.

Sasuke followed her gaze as the entire room fell silent. She sucked in a shaky breath, drawing his attention again and he squeezed her shoulder lightly. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Then he looked up. "Get Shizune in here! This is her area." He stood up and looked at the officers who were staring around the room in horror. "Get this room sealed off. No one is to touch anything until investigators on the Camera Killer case have gone through."

After Sasuke gave his orders, bodies began moving about her lab, though careful to avoid any blood. She stayed where she was, staring at her bloodied hands unsure of what to do until someone else knelt next to her. Almost immediately she knew it was Itachi and just the feel of him being so close to her almost made her cry.

"Sakura," he said calmly. His soft tone was a relief to the chaos around her and she didn't resist as he gently turned her face towards him and looked her directly in the eyes. "Are you hurt at all?"

Sakura hadn't moved since her back hit the wall and she had been on adrenaline when she had fallen so honestly she wasn't entirely sure, but she shook her head anyway. "No. I…I don't think so."

Itachi kept her gaze for another long second before he nodded and turned to look down at her body. "I want you to shower and go home immediately," he ordered firmly. "Am I understood?"

Sakura stared at him for a long moment. She wasn't used to him using such a commanding tone with her, but she understood why he did. She had denied his request to go home for the past three days; he wasn't going to be nice about it anymore. Slowly she nodded before she stood as carefully as she could. She winced slightly as she applied pressure on her wrist, but a moment later Itachi gripped her elbow and helped her to her feet without a word.

"Take off your lab coat," he said gently.

She did as he requested without question and shrugged out of her coat for Temari to put into an evidence bag. Then she headed towards the showers with her head down in stress, stopping only when Itachi grabbed her elbow again.

"When you are done, there will be a cab waiting for you," he said. Then, like he thought she would argue, he added, "You have been awake too long to drive safely."

Sakura merely nodded, feeling just as numb as before as she exited her busy lab and headed towards the showers.

Thirty minutes later, Sakura was headed out the door of the department. Her hair was pulled back and out of her face, and she was dressed in Temari's spare clothes, having used all of her extra clothing the days before. Surprisingly Itachi was waiting out for her. She looked at him tiredly, wanting nothing more than to jump into his arms and be comforted, but she refrained herself; they were still at work after all. But when he kept just staring at her, she turned and headed towards the cab that was waiting for her.

"Good work today, Sakura," he said quietly.

Sakura stopped and turned around to look at him, giving him her worst smile. "Thanks."

He nodded slightly and looked her over slowly before a small frown appeared on his face. "Where are you going?" he asked.

Sakura shrugged slightly. "My place, I think. I haven't been there in awhile."

Itachi nodded again before he closed the distance between them and kissed her lightly. "I'll come over when I am finished here. And I'll have someone drop off your car as well."

She nodded and got one more kiss to her cheek before she finally climbed into the cab.

Fifteen minutes later, Sakura crawled into her apartment and collapsed onto her bed…only to find she couldn't sleep. She wasn't sure if it was lack of sleep or something else, but the memory of that heart lying there on her floor really freaked her out. She'd had a serial killer after her before and it had absolutely terrified her. She didn't want that to happen again.

And Kiba. What was she going to do about him? Temari and her brothers knew about him as well as Sasuke and Ino. Everyone knew. Everyone knew except Itachi and with Kiba threatening to tear her and Itachi apart, he was bound to find out soon enough. She knew she had to tell him before he found out from someone else, but it just hurt so much to think about it that she didn't know how to.

Inuzuka Kiba had ruined her image of men for years and she didn't want to ever see him again. He only stirred up forgotten and painful memories and she didn't want to have to deal with those again. Itachi had helped her get past most of them – even without his knowledge – and she didn't want them to come back. It would only mess things up with Itachi.

And just like that, Sakura began to cry.

She curled into herself and wrapped her arms around her middle as she cried herself to sleep, wishing not for the first time that her life wasn't so screwed up.

* * *

 _She knew where she was. She recognized the small kitchenette in her old apartment immediately and knew what came next as a blade was placed against her throat. She had dreamed about this many times after the attack, but it always ended differently._

 _Without a word, Sakura closed her eyes and relaxed her body as much as she could, even against the fear raging in her chest. She took a deep breath before she snapped her eyes opened and rammed her free elbow into her attacker's stomach with as much power as she could muster._

 _He gasped out loudly and his grip on her almost disappeared completely. She felt the knife on her throat slacken and she ripped herself out of his grasp as adrenaline flooded through her system before she dove head-first at her gun. A painful, slicing sting slid across her neck and there was an immediate gush of blood as the knife caught her throat, but she ignored it as she reached for her gun._

 _Her fingers closed around the handle, but before she could turn on her back and shoot, he grabbed her wrist and flipped her over. The shine of something on his jacket caught her attention and she stared with wide eyes as she made out the TMPD on the badge._

 _Immediately, Sakura's eyes flashed up to her attacker's face in fear only to see Neji sneering down at her with a dangerous look in his eyes. She opened her mouth to scream, but it got stuck in her throat as he raised his blade and swung downwards. She tried to move out of the way, but the blade made contact with her stomach, causing all the air to leave her lungs. A silent scream left her mouth as he pulled his knife out and laughed darkly._

 _With a soft cry, Sakura waited to hear Sasuke knock on her door and come barging in to save her; only this time there was no knock._

 _Desperately, Sakura rolled onto her side and tried to drag herself across her kitchen floor, but before she got too far, Neji grabbed her ankle and yanked her back with a forceful tug. He leaned down and gripped her hair tightly as he forcefully made her look up at him. Tears of pain and fear streaked down her face and she knew he would be the last face she ever saw._

" _Too bad your little Itachi-chan isn't here to save you," he sneered darkly._

 _Then he raised his blade again and made a downward stroke towards her throat._

Sakura woke with a start when she felt the edge of her bed dip. Her eyes snapped open just as she saw a hand reach for her. On reflex she pushed her attacker away from her with a short cry and frantically fought to get away only to realize a moment later someone was calling her name.

"Sakura, calm down, it's alright."

Immediately Sakura stopped struggling and she opened her eyes slowly to find Itachi was staring at her worriedly. When she saw who it was, she began crying as images from her dream and the package she received earlier that day flashed through her mind. Without a word, Itachi drew her into his arms and tucked her head under his chin as he gently ran his hand up and down her back in a way he knew comforted her. Her fingers gripped his shirt tightly as she cried and for the first time she didn't care that she was wrinkling his nice work clothes.

It took her a good few minutes for her to calm down and when she finally did, she felt her eyes grow heavy again in exhaustion. "Tell me what's wrong," Itachi said gently.

Another shaky breath escaped her lips and she closed her eyes tightly as she leaned against him and let her death grip on his shirt loosen slightly. "I dreamt about Neji attacking me again, only this time Sasuke wasn't there to stop him from killing me. It made me realize…" she trailed off as she sniffed slightly. "I was thinking what if he's after me too? What if this killer has it out for me?"

Itachi was quiet for a moment as he processed her words, but she waited patiently because she knew whatever he had to say was exactly what he meant. He wouldn't give her false pretenses or lies just to make her feel better. He would tell her exactly what he thought.

Suddenly he pulled her closer to him and placed a delicate kiss to the scar on her neck she had received from Neji a little over a year ago before he pulled back to look at her. "He won't," he said in a calm voice. "He will not even be able to touch you."

Sakura sniffed and buried her face into Itachi's shoulder. "How do you know? Neji almost got me. I got away on luck last time. What will stop him this time if he is?"

Itachi pulled her face out of his shirt so he could look down on her with warm eyes. "Me," he said bluntly. She only stare up at him. "Last time, I was not with you when Neji attacked, but whoever comes after you this time, if anyone does," he reminded her, "will have to go through me."

Almost immediately her silent tears stopped and a ghost of a smile crossed her lips. "Thanks," she murmured as she rested the side of her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes tiredly.

Itachi kissed her forehead gently. "Now that you have calmed down a little, go back to sleep. I will wake you when dinner is ready."

Tiredly, Sakura nodded and she let Itachi help her lie back down before he pulled her shoes off – something she had forgotten to do before she collapsed into bed. His fingers easily unbuttoned the jeans she had borrowed from Temari and he helped her slip out of them before he pulled the covers over her. Quietly, he set her phone down on the nightstand and she murmured a quiet "thank you" as she smiled tiredly at him. He returned her smile and placed one more kiss to her cheek as he murmured he would be down the hall if she needed him before he closed the door quietly behind him.

For a moment, Sakura listened to the reassuring sounds of Itachi quietly shuffling around out in the living room before she eventually allowed herself to close her eyes and drift to sleep.

It felt like only a few minutes had passed by the time Sakura felt Itachi wake her again. He brushed her hair out of her face and placed a kiss to her cheek as he told her dinner was ready before he moved off her bed.

Slowly Sakura opened her eyes and continued to lie in bed as her eyelids threatened to close again. She felt more tired than she had before she slept and that was saying something. Her head ached slightly and her throat felt scratchy, but before she could go back to sleep, Itachi pulled the covers from her and told her to get up with an amused tone. Tiredly, Sakura yawned before she pushed herself into a sitting position. "What time is it?" she murmured.

"About six-thirty," was his reply before he closed her dresser drawer.

Exhausted she rubbed her eyes and opened them again to find Itachi was holding out a pair of sweat pants for her. She murmured a quiet "thanks" and pulled them on before she followed him out into the kitchen. A small smile came to her face when she saw the meal he had laid out on the kitchen table and she said her thanks as she sat herself at the chair across from him before she dug in.

Honestly Sakura was so hungry she didn't think she would be able to stop to have a conversation with Itachi, but as she looked up at him, she saw it wouldn't have mattered anyway. He was lost in his own thoughts. He was probably thinking about the case, she realized. He had been just as busy as her. The only difference was he had gone home and slept so he didn't exhaust himself like she had. Though, even if she had gone home last night she figured she wouldn't have slept anyway; not after the conversation she'd had with Kiba.

Suddenly Sakura came out of her musing to realize Itachi was staring at her thoughtfully. Confused she finished chewing what was in her mouth and swallowed. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.

Itachi slowly blinked himself out of his thoughts and shook his head as he picked up his own empty plate. "Nothing," he murmured as he stood and placed it in the dishwasher. Sakura stared at him in confusion, but brushed it off. Without a word, she turned her gaze away from him as she reached for a second helping. She filled up her plate again as Itachi headed towards her room. "Do you need anything washed?" he called.

Quickly Sakura swallowed what was in her mouth and called over her shoulder, "Just the stuff in the basket and Temari's jeans."

With his lack of a reply, she assumed he had heard her and she quickly finished eating before she placed her own dishes in the dishwasher and began clearing the table. Sakura pulled all the bowls and plates off the table and placed them on the counter to wrap up the leftovers when Itachi called for her: "Sakura, could you come here for a moment?"

Immediately she stopped what she was doing and headed down the hall and through the first door into the laundry room. She walked in to find Itachi was holding Temari's jeans in one hand and what looked like some type of credit card or something in the other. "Sakura, what is this?" he asked quietly.

Confused, Sakura stepped towards him. She opened her mouth to say she didn't know when she took the card from his hand and realized it was a card for a hotel room. Taped to the front was a note:

 _I can't wait for tonight._

 _I.K._

Stunned, Sakura could only stare at the note as all manner of words escaped her. She attempted speech a few times, but only the bare start of words came out before she stopped herself again. There was only one person with the initials I.K. that she knew. Immediately she became angry; spitting mad. Who the hell did Kiba think he was, leaving her a note to come to a hotel room with him? She wasn't some cheap whore he could pick up whenever he wanted. She had told him she had a boyfriend and she was happy with him. Why couldn't he leave her alone?

And before she could stop herself, she snapped the card in half before she threw it as hard as she could at the wall. It hit the wall with a quiet thud before clattering to the floor. Sakura felt her breathing became deeper and faster, and she had a dangerous urge to punch Kiba straight back to the west coast.

"Who the hell does he think he is?" Sakura snapped. She couldn't tell if she was talking to herself or Itachi as her fists clenched together and her eyes narrowed in fury. "Does he think he's funny? I can't believe he would actually do something like this." Then she turned to Itachi. "I swear I was going to tell you earlier but I didn't know how and it just didn't…" She trailed off quickly when she realized he was staring at her blankly.

Her anger rapidly vanished when she realized the reason behind why Itachi had asked her about the hotel key. The look in his eyes told her everyone. He suspected she was having an affair on him. Her heart leapt into her throat when Kiba's words from the night before echoed in her head: _"I'll find a way to ruin your relationship. Don't worry."_

Sakura clapped her hand over her mouth when she realized Kiba intended to make Itachi break up with her so she would be just as sad and pathetic as before. Her eyes watered slightly and it didn't escape her attention that Itachi didn't reach for her as the first tear fell from her eyes.

Slowly she lowered her hand and raised her eyes to look at him. She swallowed thickly when his expression was just as blank and carefully guarded as before. "Kiba is my ex," Sakura said slowly. She wanted what she was about to say to come out right so she took a deep breath before continuing. "He's the reason I left the Kanazawa department. He broke my heart in so many pieces that I felt like I couldn't even breathe. That's why I came to Tokyo. I needed to get away."

Itachi was quiet for a long moment. "So why were you going to meet him at a hotel?"

A jolt of horror flashed through her chest when she realized Itachi didn't believe her. "I wasn't," she said quickly. "He has this thought in his head that I'm going to go back to him. He just won't go away."

For a moment Sakura thought she saw the ice in Itachi's expression soften slightly before he narrowed his eyes slightly. "How did the key get into your jeans then?"

Quickly Sakura opened her mouth to answer only to realize she had no idea. Her mind raced through her day, remembering eating lunch with Itachi and coming back to her lab to find Kiba was there. He had left with only bruising her wrist. She had showered after that, but she had changed jeans and she would have felt the key while she worked.

Then she remembered the horrible package brought to her that morning and Itachi's order to shower. She had just changed shirts sense she had been out of fresh jeans.

"I showered," Sakura said slowly. She looked up at Itachi as she realized how he'd done it. "After I opened the package, you told me to shower and go home. I had the jeans on the bench the entire time and I took a fairly long shower. He could have come in then."

Silence passed between them before Itachi eventually nodded. He walked over and picked up the broken hotel key before he dropped it in the trash in the corner of the small room. Sakura watched Itachi finish placing her clothes in the washing machine before she left, heading straight towards her bedroom without finishing with putting dinner away.

With a heavy sigh, she sat on the edge of her bed and placed her head in her hands. Stressfully, she rubbed her hands over her face as she recalled her conversation with Kiba the night before and the events that had just taken place with Itachi in the laundry room. His expression had been so cold when she explained to him her past relationship with Kiba. She couldn't remember the last time he had looked at her like that. Yes, he'd gotten angry with her before, but what the hell was that? They had been together for two years. Never once had they gotten into a serious fight and they always told each other everything. How could he so readily accuse her of cheating?

Wasn't he supposed to trust her?

Slowly a prickling behind her eyes started in the first sign of the tears to come, but she forced them not to fall. She refused to cry again; she had done so much already tonight. But she had to do something. She felt so miserable and tired, but she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. She needed to get out of here.

As quickly as she could, Sakura opened her closet and pulled out her emergency backpack she kept ready for times when she had to go into work late at night or early in the morning. She pulled on a pair of old converse and threw her pack over her shoulder before she made for the front door. Itachi glanced up at her on her way out, but she refused to look at him and he didn't say anything before she closed the door behind her. Quickly, she pulled her car keys out and jumped into her car before she pulled onto the street. With Itachi and Ino not speaking to her, and too much time between her and Temari, she could only think of one place to go.

Sakura arrived at the house ten minutes later and parked next to the white BMW before she hurried up the front steps. Nervously, she knocked lightly at first before they turned louder as her anxiety grew. It was silent for a moment before she heard footsteps on the other side of the door. A moment later the lock slid out of place and the door opened. "Sakura, what are you doing here so late?" Sasuke asked.

He was wearing a simple t-shirt and a pair of sweats. His expression looked confused, if not a little bit annoyed, but it quickly turned into concern when Sakura felt the tears she had been holding back for the past half an hour flood her eyes and run down her cheeks. "Why won't he just leave me alone?" Sakura cried as she stepped into his open arms.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four  
The Interview

As to where Sakura had been for the past few nights, Itachi had no idea. For three nights, he had stayed up as late as his mind allowed before he finally fell asleep on her bed. He didn't really think she would return that night – he had seen the backpack slung over her shoulder – but he hadn't expected her to be gone for so long. At first, he had considered the thought that she had actually gone to Kiba's hotel room, if not to beat him up, but when she walked out the door, the backpack wasn't the only thing he noticed. There were tears in her eyes; tears he knew he had caused. And it made his chest tightened painfully. He had never made Sakura cry before.

He should have known that his accusation was misplaced. Sakura wasn't one to sleep around. In fact, the first time they had slept together, it had been so long for her that she was actually nervous. He didn't know why he had been so angry when he saw the note on that hotel key. He supposed it was because of the way she and Officer Inuzuka had been looking at each other all week. There had been a strange, knowing smirk on Kiba's mouth every time he looked at her. Sakura, on the other hand, had just stared at him every time they were together and whenever she realized he was watching her, she got this guilty, scared expression on her face. An affair was the first and only thing to pop into his mind when he saw the card.

Sighing softly, Itachi leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes as a headache began to form in his temple, forcing him to take a break from reading. He had spent the past hour in his office reviewing files and had gotten through most of them, which was surprising. He hadn't had time to go through them lately so the pile had been quite large. Though, now that the pile was significantly smaller, he stood up and walked out of his office. He wanted to see what his older cousin was up to.

Itachi had made it about halfway across the room when he heard Sakura speak. "Has the blood been identified?" she asked in a light tone.

Itachi glanced in the direction he heard her voice to find her leaning against Temari's make-shift desk. Her arms were crossed and there was a thoughtful expression on her face, but underneath her eyes were circles that hadn't been there a couple of nights before and a certain exhaustion sketched onto her face that he realized was from crying the night before. A small pang of guilt ripped across his chest, but he knew he couldn't talk to her. It was too recent for her and she would only push him away.

"Yeah, Shizune-san finally did late last night," Temari said as she typed away on her computer. "It matches a girl that we found on the West. She also found that whoever cut the heart out of the girl is medically trained or the person had some medical experience. There wasn't really anything else strange about the heart. No poisons or anything."

Sakura sighed quietly. "Medically trained," she murmured to herself.

Itachi watched as Sakura's expression grew thoughtful. She hardly even noticed when Temari stood up and left, leaving her by herself as she continued to sit on the edge of her friend's make-shift desk. Her arms were crossed and her expression remained thoughtful, but after a moment she blinked herself back to reality and shook her head slightly. Casually her gaze travelled around the room and when she saw him staring at her, she quickly looked away and sat in Temari's seat before she turned her attention to the computer.

For a moment, Itachi was tempted to go over and apologize to her, but he stopped himself. Now wasn't the place and he doubted she would even listen to him if he tried. With a soft sigh, Itachi continued towards Shisui's office. He peered into the room when he found the door open halfway and knocked lightly before he stepped inside. Shisui looked up from a file at the knock before his eyes turned downwards once more. "Need something, Itachi?"

Itachi nodded slightly. "I was curious as to how the proceedings with the package are going."

He had meant to ask a couple of days ago when the package had actually arrived, but so far he had been so busy with the paperwork that actually ran the department that he hadn't gotten around to seeing how far along everything was until now.

Shisui shrugged slightly. "You'll have to ask Sasuke. I've been too busy with everything else to get to it so he said would take it over."

With a small nod, Itachi exited Shisui's office and crossed the hall to his younger brother's. When he walked in, Sasuke hardly glanced at him as he continued his phone conversation. "Alright, call me back when you've brought him in," he said into the receiver before he placed his phone down.

"Who are you bringing in?" Itachi asked curiously.

Sasuke stopped writing mid-sentence and looked at him blankly. "Yakushi Kabuto." He said it like it was obvious. "Apparently, he took a few days off work so we were only able to get him in until now."

Itachi nodded slightly. "How is the investigation going with the package?"

Again, Sasuke stopped writing and looked at his older brother with a slight scowl on his face. "We'll know more after we question Yakushi."

There was another moment of silence as Itachi tried to understand Sasuke's temper. "Why are you being so short?" he asked quietly.

A small sigh of annoyance passed through Sasuke's lips as he signed a document and stood up to place it in a filing cabinet. "Why won't you go away and let me do my job?" he asked coldly with an undertone of aggression in his voice.

For a moment, Itachi froze. Sasuke was angry. And not just in general; he was mad at him. Honestly, Itachi couldn't remember the last time Sasuke had been angry enough to where he didn't even want to talk to him. It had to be since they were in their teenage years, but that wasn't what made him pause. Something about the way he phrased his retort sparked something in the back of Itachi's mind. He just couldn't place it. He searched his mind for a couple of seconds, but when he came up blank, Itachi attention turned back to his younger brother. "Inform me when Yakushi comes in," he said quietly.

Sasuke barely gave him a nod of acknowledgment before he returned to his desk. Itachi watched his younger brother for a short moment before he eventually retreated back to his own office to continue his paperwork. About an hour later, an officer came to his office to inform him that Yakushi Kabuto was being brought up. Quickly, Itachi closed his files and left his office, locking it on the way, before he made his way towards the interview room.

When he arrived, he found Shisui with an annoyed expression and Sasuke with his arms crossed as the two supervisors watched Kiba and Sakura argue calmly but heatedly. "What's going on?" Itachi asked as he stopped next to his younger cousin.

Shisui rolled his eyes. "Well, Sakura believes that she should interview Yakushi, but Inuzuka is the lead investigator and he thinks he would do a better job-."

"Bullshit," Sakura interrupted. "I should interview him. If he's hiding anything I am the only one who-."

"I know that what you went through a few days ago was terrible, Sakura, but-," Kiba started.

"It's Haruno-san to you," she snapped dangerously.

Kiba sighed. "Haruno-san. But I don't think you'll be able to get it out of him. You've only interviewed a few people in the past and-."

"You don't know that," Sakura said easily. A knowing look flashed across her eyes before it vanished and she turned to him. "Let me interview him. You know I can do this."

Itachi sighed quietly. She was about to hate him again. "I know," he said quietly. "But Captain Inuzuka is the lead investigator. It is his call."

As he suspected, Sakura's mouth dropped open slightly in disbelief. Then her expression darkened and she glared daggers at him before she turned her dark gaze to Kiba. For a moment, Kiba just stared back before he shrugged. "Fine," Kiba said. "Go ahead."

Sakura's glare faded and she stared at him, not understanding. "What?"

Kiba smiled at her. "You can interview him." She opened her mouth, but he continued before she could speak. "But if I have any questions, you're going to ask them. Am I understood?"

Itachi watched Sakura take a deep breath, obviously stopping herself from making a nasty retort before she nodded slightly. "Fine."

Just then Kakashi walked out of the video room with a small box in hand. He passed it to Kiba who just shook his head and handed it to Sakura. "It's her interview," he explained.

Kakashi gave Sakura a look which she returned before she opened the box and placed the earwig in her ear. She took the file Sasuke offered her before she turned and walked into the interview room without another word. Sighing softly, Itachi followed Kakashi back into the video room and stood back as he and Kiba took their seats in front of the screens displaying the interview room. Everyone in the room settled down as Sakura stepped up to the table and sat down across from Kabuto.

"Good afternoon, Yakushi -san," she said pleasantly.

He smiled back, though it was slightly forced. "Hi…Sakura."

She smiled again. "I'm truly sorry you had to come in on your day off."

With the angle of the camera, Itachi barely caught his small shrug. "It's alright. I heard something happened here a couple of days ago."

Sakura nodded. "Yes, it had something to do with the package you brought in."

His expression remained confused. "Did I bring it to the wrong person?"

With a small shake of her head, she replied, "No, it was intended for me."

"Oh," Kabuto said quietly. "What was inside?"

Sakura waved off his question. "That's not important. What I'm interested in knowing is when you got the package was it cold?"

Kabuto looked slightly confused. "Cold?"

She nodded with a fake smile. "Temperature wise."

Again, he looked confused, but he nodded nonetheless. "Yes, I suppose it was, but that's hardly surprising."

A strange look crossed Sakura's face. "And why is that?"

He shrugged. "Because most of our packages are left outside for some time. It's more unusual for our packages to be warm or at room temperature."

Suddenly Kiba leaned forward in his chair. His hand reached out and took control of the microphone that would delay any sound to Sakura's earpiece. "Ask him who had the package before him."

Itachi's eyes turned from Kiba back to the screen to see Sakura close her eyes momentarily in annoyance. Then she directed her gaze on Kabuto and smiled sweetly. "Can you tell me who had the package before yourself?"

Unsurprisingly Kabuto shook his head, making his glasses flash from the overhead lights. "I don't know, but I can check the order forms."

Sakura subtly glanced at the camera with a glare before she returned back to the light-haired male in front of her. "What time was the package entered into the mailing system?"

"Three days ago," he answered easily.

Sakura nodded as she wrote something down. "And it was dropped off at the postal service?"

He shook his head. "No, it was sent from a mailbox."

Suddenly Sakura pushed a piece of paper and a pen in front of him. "I'm going to need that address."

Without a word, he picked up the pen and wrote something down as Sakura leaned back in her chair. When he was done, she took the paper from him and tucked it into her file. "And the package was express delivery?"

"Yes," Kabuto nodded. "Because of the hazardous material, it had to be."

Through the screen, Itachi saw Sakura hesitate before she smiled and closed her fie. "Thank you for coming in, Yakushi -san."

Just then Kiba quickly reached towards the microphone and pressed the button to speak. "Haruno, I still have more questions. I'm not done."

On the screen, Sakura obviously ignored him. "I hope you have a good evening."

Kabuto smiled slightly. "Thanks, you too."

"Haruno," Kiba snapped as she walked out of the interrogation room. Angrily, he set down the microphone and stormed out of the video room. With an inward sigh, Itachi quickly followed him with Sasuke hot on his heels. He opened the door just in time to see Kiba storm angrily up to Sakura. "Are you deaf, Haruno, or do you just have a problem with authority?" he snapped harshly.

Sakura didn't even look at him as she walked passed him to Sasuke. There was a thoughtful expression on her face as she stopped in front of his younger brother. "We have a problem."

"How so?" Sasuke asked.

"Yakushi asked me when I first stepped into the interrogation room if he had delivered the package to the wrong department," she said slowly. "But then he said the package was sent through express delivery because of the hazardous material." She looked at Sasuke and shook her head. "I never told him what was in the package and the package didn't have any hazardous warning labels either."

Sasuke's eyebrow rose and Kiba's eyes widened as Itachi's own eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "We've got him," Sasuke said.

Sakura gave a strange look. "Well we know he knows something."

"What's the problem then?" Kiba asked.

Sakura glanced at him out of the corner of her eye before she turned her attention back to Sasuke. "We have nothing to hold him on. Unless you can get him to punch Inuzuka here in the face and charge him with assault of a police officer-."

"Hey!" Kiba snapped.

"–Yakushi's going to walk out of here within five minutes," Sakura finished without even sparing him a glance.

Sasuke sighed loudly. "Damnit," he murmured to himself. "So we have nothing?"

A defeated look crossed Sakura's face. "Well we have something, but it might as well be nothing."

Itachi watched as his younger brother rubbed his eyes tiredly while Sakura sighed. He couldn't have them giving up this easily. The case was still going on and he needed them probably more than he needed anyone else. They were his best. "Alright," Itachi said lightly, bringing them all back. "Sakura, I want you to look up the address Yakushi gave you. Kiba, get him to give you the order form with the person who had the package before him. Report back to Sasuke whether or not you find something."

For a moment, they stared at him before Sakura nodded and cast Sasuke a glanced before she stalked off. Sasuke left without a word afterwards, leaving him and Kiba standing in the hallway watching as the other two left. Then his eyes turned to the head investigator to see his eyes were trained on Sakura, specifically her ass. A deep glare etched onto Itachi's face, but before he could say anything Kiba looked up at him and nodded before he left to the main room, acting as if he hadn't just looked up his girlfriend right in front of him.

For a second, Itachi stood in the hallway by himself, thinking over what had just happened. For the first time, it felt like everything was spiraling out of his control. His girlfriend was mad at him, his brother wasn't talking to him, and the lead investigator was probably trying to get into said girlfriend's pants even though they were ex's. He didn't get sent back to high school, did he?

* * *

With another frustrated sigh, Sakura closed her phone and set it down next to her computer. Kakashi had just called in that the address belonged to a single-mom who was staying with her sister until she could support herself. Her old mentor told her they would bring both women in, but they both knew it was a lost cause.

Rubbing her eyes tiredly, Sakura stood up and took a deep breath to help fight off the dizziness that suddenly hit her. She didn't know if it was her cold or lack of sleep that was making today so hard, but she pushed her weariness to the back of her mind and continued into the back room to get some coffee.

When she came back, she set her cup down and pulled on some gloves before she picked up the vial that contained a sample of the blood that had been in the package. She was just about to uncork it when footsteps sound in the hall outside her lab. She looked up just as Kiba walked in. When he saw her watching him, he just stared back with a smile. Eventually Sakura rolled her eyes. "What?" she snapped.

"You know, I don't think you've said one nice thing to me sense I've been here," Kiba stated bluntly.

Slowly Sakura stood up from her bent over position and glared at him. "Well I apologize if I hurt your feelings," she said mockingly. "Now do you need something?"

He sighed slightly. "What were your finding on the address Yakushi gave you?"

"There were no findings," Sakura said before she took a long drink of her coffee. "Kakashi found the residence to be occupied by two sisters. He's bringing them in now."

"Would you like to interview them?" Kiba asked sarcastically.

 _Would you like to kiss my ass?_ She didn't say it allowed because she knew he would only find something sexual to say about it and she wasn't in the mood for his games. Instead she turned her attention back to the blood in front of her. "They're all yours."

Kiba smiled sickeningly. "Thanks so much."

"Yep," she said shortly as she stood up and walked to the other side of the room to grab a tray.

She didn't realize how badly her head was pounding until the world tipped to the side for a second and she tripped over a couple of notebooks Sasuke left on the floor next to his work station. A long string of curses left her mouth and she caught herself with the back of his chair before she took a deep breath to calm herself.

"You know, you always were a klutz," Kiba said in amusement from the doorway.

Annoyed, Sakura glared at Kiba. The look on his face made an old, forgotten memory flash to the forefront of her mind. For a fraction of a second, she saw a younger version of herself sitting on a hospital bed as Kiba held her hand as a nurse looked her over. There was a deep throbbing pain pounding on the side of her forehead and she flinched every time the nurse touched a bruise. _"Such a klutz,"_ he said carelessly.

Then she was back in her lab, staring blankly at the man she used to love. His expression had changed though; it looked worried, which bothered her. "Are you alright, Sakura?"

It took her a moment to bring herself back, but then she blinked and her anger returned. "Don't call me that." He just stared at her. "Get out."

Kiba stood in her doorway for a moment later before he turned and left without another word, his worried expression never leaving his face. She waited until she heard the ding of the elevator, the signal that the doors had opened. Then she grabbed the edge of the counter and lowered herself to the floor. Dizzily, she leaned forward and dug the palms of her hands into her eyes as her head pounded until it hurt to think. It was hard to tell how long she sat there before she was finally able to open her eyes again. She glanced at the doorway again as the same memory from before replayed in her mind's eye. When had she ever been in the hospital with Kiba? She had no memory of that.

For a moment, Sakura wondered if she should go to the hospital on her lunch break and see what was in her file. If she had been in the hospital with Kiba, whether in Tokyo or across the country, it would be there.

Before Sakura could give it much more thought, her phone went off. Her eyes followed the sound and she looked up to see her cell phone was sitting on top of her examining table. With a soft sigh, she pulled herself to her feet and crossed the room to answer it. "Haruno."

"Hey, Sakura." It was Sasuke. "I was wondering if you could do me a favor?"

"Yeah, what is it?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Can you bring me the top notebook that's piled next to my desk?" he asked.

Sakura was quiet for a moment as she looked over to the once-neat pile of notebooks she had recently kicked over. "Uh…" she started slowly. "I might have accidentally tripped over them. Which one did you want?"

For a moment, the other end of the phone was silent before the soft sound of Sasuke's laughter echoed in her ear. "How do you trip over that?"

She glared at nothing in particular. "Shut up, I was distracted. Now do you want me to bring you the notebook or not?"

She vaguely heard Sasuke clear his throat before he put the phone back to his ear. "Yeah, it's the one with the blue cover."

It took her only a couple of seconds of searching through the messy heap to find the only dark blue notebook in the entire pile. When she grabbed it, she confirmed it with Sasuke and hung up before she stood up straight and headed towards the elevators.

The top floor was busy like it normally was and when she stepped out of the elevator, a huge group of people took her place. For a moment, she watched the door close before she returned her attention to the people crowding the room. Silently she scanned the floor for Sasuke, but when she didn't spot her best friend and superior, she turned and headed down the hall to her right towards his office. His door was closed when she approached and quickly she knocked before she entered without permission. Upon opening the door, she immediately wished she had waited.

Before her, in the middle of Sasuke's office stood Itachi.

His arms were crossed and there was a look of irritation sketched onto his face, but she only noticed because his glare had been directed at her when he walked in. For a long moment, she just stared at him and watched as his angry expression rapidly changed into something softer, but before she gave him the chance to say anything, she turned to Sasuke. Quietly, she approached his desk to give him the notebook he had requested. Sasuke took it without a word. He quickly opened it before he flipped through a few pages. He stopped on a page and began reading before he looked at her through his eyelashes. "Have you by any chance matched the heart cells with the cells of the fourteen-year-old's body the Kanazawa department had found?"

Slowly Sakura shook her head. "No."

Then unintentionally her mind wandered to earlier in the hour when she had attempted to look at it. In her mind's eye she could see Kiba as he walked into her lab, smiling like they were friends. Though, as the memory played in her mind so did her headache and she flinched as the pounding returned to the forefront of her mind.

"Sakura, are you alright?" Sasuke suddenly asked.

Quickly Sakura returned her attention to the room's conversation and nodded. "Yeah, fine." As casually as she could, she took a deep breath to soothe her pounding head.

"Are you sure?" he continued. "You look a bit pale."

His words seemed to echo in her mind as a memory flooded her. She was sitting on a hospital bed with a stinging feeling throbbing through the right side of her forehead. She smiled as she took Kiba's hand in her own. _"Of course I look pale, Kiba. I'm in the hospital."_

Kiba's own smile was weak. _"You should be more careful. You could have really been hurt."_

She was about to reply when a sudden sharp throb struck through her mind, making her gasp. She closed her eyes and when she opened them again she was standing in Sasuke's office once more. He was staring at her worriedly and out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Itachi reaching for her.

Quickly she stepped away from him and shoved her hands into her pockets. She was going to wait until later when her work was done, but now she was desperate to see what was in her hospital file. "I need a lunch break," she demanded.

Sasuke glanced at the clock. "It's three in the afternoon-."

"Even more reason for me to have one," she said a little more forcefully than she intended.

She could feel herself becoming impatient. She needed to get away, if only for an hour. She didn't want to see Itachi or Kiba or even Sasuke and Ino. They all knew when something was wrong and she didn't want to talk. She wanted to think and get answers. She had never been in the hospital when she was dating Kiba. _Never._

Slowly Sasuke nodded. He obviously knew Sakura would go whether he gave her permission or not. The moment he gave his consent, Sakura turned and walked out of the room. She stopped in her lab first to drop off her lab coat and grab her keys and wallet before she headed straight to her car. She didn't even glance at anyone as she made her exit and got into her car.

The drive to the hospital felt unbelievably slow and she felt her headache grow as each mile passed slower than the last. In actuality, only ten minutes or so had gone by when she finally drew up to the hospital. She grabbed the first parking space she spotted before she hurried through the cold winds and into the warm, yet bright hospital. Immediately she turned right and headed for the elevators to go to the second floor. If there was one person who would go against the rules and give her her medical file it would be Doctor Tsunade.

When Sakura reached the floor she wanted, she took off down the hall until she came upon Tsunade's spacious office. The door was open, but Sakura knocked anyway and waited for permission to enter. Unsurprisingly Tsunade looked up and stared at Sakura with a mixed expression of confusion, worry and surprise. "Sakura, what are you doing here?"

Over the past two years Sakura had shown up for more stitches and bandages and whatever else than she had in her entire life. She wasn't entirely sure why but Tsunade was always there to patch her up. In the past two years, the two of them had formed a close bond and on more than one occasion, she wished both of them had more time off so they could maybe get a cup of coffee or something.

"I need a favor," Sakura said from the doorway.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "I hope you don't need me to stitch something up. I'm ridiculously busy today."

Both of them knew that didn't matter. Tsunade could be about to start a surgery and she would hold it to see to Sakura, but she decided not to remind her of that. She was here for a specific reason and she desperately needed answers. "No, I'm fine," she said slowly. "I need you to get my hospital file for me."

The blonde woman's eyebrow rose suspiciously. "You know I'm not allowed to do that." She paused for a split second. "May I ask what for though?"

Sakura bit her bottom lip before she mentally searched for a reason that would satisfy Tsunade's curiosity while not giving away too much information. "I need it to research some previous hospital visits."

Tsunade closed her files before she slowly stood and stretched. "Alright, wait here. I'll be back within a few minutes."

A small smile stretched out across Sakura's lips and she murmured a quiet "thank you." She hadn't even given a good reason and she had done it for her.

Once Tsunade stepped out of the room, Sakura took a seat on her couch pushed into the corner of the room. Half of it was covered in files, but she didn't complain. She had been in med school; she knew how much paperwork was involved in working at a hospital. Quietly, she gazed around the room as she waited and true to her word, Sakura didn't have to wait long. Tsunade was back within five minutes with her file in hand. She gave it to Sakura without a word before she sat back down behind her desk and continued where she had left off.

Just as silently, Sakura rested back against the cushions and opened her file. The first page contained her personal information such as her age, ethnicity, weight and other things such as past and present medications. Her eyes travelled over the information and stopped when something stood out at her. The person to call in case of an emergency was Uchiha Itachi.

For a moment, Sakura contemplated if she should change it to someone else. After all, she and Itachi hadn't talked about anything not work related in days. Hell, when they had been in Sasuke's office a half an hour before he hardly even acknowledged her. Well that was untrue. It was mostly the other way around.

Suddenly Sakura shook her head. She wasn't here to change medical information about who to contact in an emergency or anything else. She was here to learn about her past visits in the hospital before her move to Tokyo; that was it.

With a small mental shake, Sakura flipped to the next page to find family history. As she continued to flip page after page, she finally came to one she was looking for. It was dated back to about six years ago. She had been a walk-in at the Kanazawa hospital. Though, she had been barely conscious when she came in with a male – she knew it was Kiba. The doctors had taken a look at her and reported bruises around her arms and just above the back of her elbow, though the most pressing injury had been a deep gash across the side of her forehead. A nurse reported that it looked like domestic abuse, but since she was of age, they couldn't report it to the police. The next day, she had been released.

The next page was filled with a similar report of her injuries only this time it had been the back of her head that she hit.

With wide eyes and a pounding heart, Sakura kept flipping pages and skimming the reports to find two more similar incidences. The last one reported that a nurse had talked to her in private about her injuries, but Sakura herself had claimed that she had simply tripped down the stairs and busted her head again the end of their coffee table. It sounded logical to Sakura, but she also knew she didn't trip down stairs. Her shared apartment with Kiba had only been one-story.

"Tsunade," Sakura suddenly said in a quiet voice.

The blonde woman looked up from her work and stared at Sakura expectantly.

"Why would someone forget being in the hospital?" she asked slowly.

For a moment, Tsunade stared at her before she set her pen down and leaned back in her chair. She laced her fingers together and rested her chin atop them as she look at Sakura. "Well there are multiple reasons. The first is a psychological thing: the experience was so traumatic that their mind has completely blocked it from their memory. There's also the medical stand point: the person could have hit their head so hard that they have amnesia." The busty, blonde woman leaned forward and unlaced her fingers to look at Sakura seriously. "Is something wrong, Sakura?"

As casually as she could manage, Sakura smiled and shook her head. She closed the file and placed it on the edge of Tsunade's desk as she prepared to leave. "No, I'm fine. Thank you for fetching my file for me." Then her smile turned sincere. "I really appreciate it."

Tsunade cocked her eyebrow at her before she took Sakura's file and relocated it to a pile of files next to her desk. She nodded and bid Sakura a good day before the pink-haired woman walked out.

Sakura walked to her car in silence and plopped down in the driver's seat. She slid her key into the ignition but she didn't start it. Silently, she stared out the windshield lost in thought as the information she had just learned flashed through her mind. Slowly she pulled down her sun visor and lifted up the flap that covered her mirror. When she pulled back her hair, she noticed for the first time a small, nearly invisible scar just below her hairline.

How could she not remember being beaten by him? How come she didn't fight back? Then the most important question flashed through her mind.

 _How could he come back after all this time and act like he never raised a hand to her?_

Nearly shaking with anger, Sakura shoved her car keys into the ignition and started her engine. She tore out of the parking lot and raced back to the department. When she finally pulled into the parking lot, she claimed the spot her car had been in before she left before she quickly got out of her car and slammed her door shut.

"Someone's pissy."

Immediately Sakura's head snapped towards the person and her glare darkened ever further. Kiba was leaning against the side of his car watching her. There was a look of amusement on his face that made her anger boil to new heights. Without a word, Sakura popped the trunk of her car and pulled out the baseball bat Sasuke had thrown into her car years before. Kiba's eyes widened as she approached and he jumped away from his car as she took an impressive swing to his headlight.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he shouted loud enough to catch the attention of a returning police squad.

Sakura didn't even hesitate as she took another hard swing to his opposite headlight. She made a movement to hit his windshield next, but before she could swing down, a hand caught her wrist. "Let me go," she snarled as two arms wrapped around her and pulled her back, forcing her to drop the bat.

"Sakura, knock it off," Kakashi said in her ear. It took her a moment to stop struggling, but eventually she relaxed her body in Kakashi's hold and settled with sending Kiba a dark glare.

At that moment, she realized Naruto was with Kakashi as he walked up to inspect Kiba's car. He ran a hand through his blond locks stressfully and sighed. "The Superintendent General is not going to be happy about this."

Honestly, Sakura hadn't even thought about what Itachi's reaction would be in her sudden display of anger. But as soon as she thought of him, she decided that she would not let his opinion or words get to her about this. After all, if he wanted to accuse her of cheating and then not even bother to talk to her afterwards than she didn't care what he thought.

Just as that crossed her mind, Kakashi bent down and picked the baseball bat off the ground before he placed one hand on her shoulder to steer her towards the department building. Naruto turned from Kiba's car and shut her trunk before he followed Kakashi with Kiba right behind him.

The ride to the top floor was made in silence, but Sakura was perfectly fine with that. Her anger was still bubbling close to the surface and one word out of Kiba's mouth was sure to set her off again. When they reached Itachi's office, Kakashi knocked on the door three times and entered. Both Itachi and Sasuke looked up from the discussion they were obviously having as the party of four strode into the room. Sakura watched as Sasuke's gaze went from Kiba to the baseball bat and finally to her as something akin to dread washed over his face.

"Is something wrong?" Itachi asked as Naruto shut the door behind him.

Kakashi's grip on Sakura's shoulder tightened fractionally. "Haruno took a baseball bat to Officer Inuzuka's car."

Immediately Sakura felt everyone's gaze one her, but she only looked at Sasuke. His eyes were wide in shock before he shifted his gaze to Itachi who sat further forward in his chair. "I want to know the whole story," Itachi just said evenly.

Kakashi started the story, telling it from when he stepped in and saw Sakura take the second swing to Kiba's car. Afterwards, Kiba told his own side of the story – of course, leaving out the fact he had said anything to her. Even to her own ears it sounded bad. She knew this situation probably wasn't going to end well, but she kept her head up and her eyes averted from Itachi's general direction.

When Kiba finished his side of the story, the room fell silent. She could see the millions of thoughts running through Sasuke's head, but he didn't speak. Eventually Itachi sighed as she saw him look at Kiba out of the corner of her eyes. "From your story, it sounds as if Officer Haruno assaulted you without battery," he said slowly as if the words were painful to say. "Did you wish to press charges?"

At his question Kiba glanced at her and she stared right back with a knowing look. "If you have something to say, I'll be saying something as well," she said calmly as she casually brushed her hair back, causing her fingers to purposefully touch the faint scar on the side of her forehead.

Subtly, Kiba's eyes slowly widened in understanding. A small smirk crossed her face when she knew he realized her motive behind smashing in his headlights. She knew he loved that car more than anything. He had hit and abused her for years so she had completely destroyed his headlights. Her point had been made clear. Eventually Kiba slowly pulled his gaze away from her and stared at Itachi. "No. I'm not going to press charges," he finally said. "And I'll even pay for the damage."

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the surprise faintly etched onto Itachi's face. "Are you sure?"

Kiba nodded. "Yes."

After a moment, Itachi's shoulders relaxed and he sighed quietly. "Very well. You're all dismissed."

Kakashi let go of her shoulder as Sasuke approached and took the bat from him. He held it out in front of him and looked at it for a few seconds. "I was wondering where this went," he murmured. Then he looked at her and nodded towards the door for him to follow her. Quickly she began to file out after him only to stop when Itachi called her back. She closed her eyes with a grimace and waited for everyone else to leave before she closed the door and turned around with a forcefully blank expression.

Itachi was staring at her intensely. "Sakura, what is going on?"

Sakura shrugged and shook her head slightly. "Nothing."

He breathed out his nose sharply and pushed himself to his feet before he paced to the wall of windows on the far side of his office. He was quiet for a few moments before he turned around and looked at her. "You just smashed Inuzuka's headlights in with a baseball bat. How can you say nothing is going on?"

"Because nothing is. You're the one who believed something was going on," she said evenly, subtly reminding him of a few nights before when he had accused her of cheating. "Now you know."

It felt as if his eyes were piercing straight through her, but she refused to feel intimidated by his stare. She kept her arms at her sides and her expression cool.

Eventually Itachi turned around to look out the window again. "Just get out."

She left without a word.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five  
The Search

It was nearing five o'clock in the evening when Itachi returned home from work. It was the earliest he had come home since the start of the case nearly two weeks ago, but his work was far from done for the night. Within the hour, his younger brother and older cousin were going to come over to review the case and be sure they didn't miss anything, important or otherwise.

After changing into more comfortable clothes, Itachi returned to his kitchen to clear off all the files and paperwork scattered atop the kitchen table. He had almost completely cleared the surface when someone knocked on his door and walked in. "I'm assuming Shisui isn't here yet," he heard Sasuke call from the front door. A moment later he appeared around the corner with a plastic bag in one hand and a backpack in the other.

"No," Itachi replied as he finished moving everything off the table.

Sasuke placed his stuff down and took up a chair as he made a noncommittal grunt. He turned his attention to the plastic bag and pulled out boxes of Chinese. He grabbed a box and a pair of chopsticks before he pushed the bag towards Itachi. Quietly, Itachi searched each box until he found one that he wanted. Then he settled down in a chair across from his younger brother and began eating.

It was quiet between them as they ate until Sasuke eventually finished and pulled his backpack onto his lap. Itachi watched as he unzipped it and took out a binder and a large file that was filled with reports. "So," Sasuke said slowly as he flipped his binder opened, "is Sakura going to be joining us?"

Itachi stopped mid-chew before he slowly swallowed and placed his chopsticks down to grab his own files from the counter where he had set them when he got home. "No," he said evenly.

It had been three days since Sakura had smashed Kiba's headlights in. He had seen her around the building a few times and had stopped to talk to her even less. On the few times he did speak with her they had been completely professional towards one another and their conversations short before they each went their separate ways. He could sense the anger that was raging just below her unusually calm façade and though he tried to not let it affect him, he was worried. The day after the incident, Itachi had mentally made a note to keep Sakura and Kiba away from each other, but they seemed to being doing a good job of that on their own. Itachi was just worried that the next fight wouldn't be damaging personal belongings, but rather a physical one.

"I take it you're still not talking to her then," Sasuke said.

Itachi didn't glance at him as he sat back down in his chair. "There's nothing to talk about."

Sasuke gave him a raised-eyebrow look. "Yeah, right," he said and rolled his eyes. Then he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "She lied to you, you know."

Itachi kept flipping through his files. Sakura lying to him was nothing new. Though, the fact that he hadn't caught her was.

Sasuke then tilted his head slightly. "Well at least she didn't tell you the whole truth." He then looked directly at Itachi. "Inuzuka Kiba isn't Sakura's ex-boyfriend or ex-lover. He was her fiancé.

For half a second, Itachi froze. It wasn't so much of the fact that she was engaged that stunned him – she was after all an amazing woman. He could admit that even when he was frustrated and angry at her. What did surprise him was the fact that she never told him. The first time they had been intimate Sakura had told him vaguely of her last relationship. She had said how unwanted she felt and how her partner had felt nothing with her when they were together. Itachi had no idea that her "partner" was really her husband-to-be, even after their two years together. She had never once dropped any hint. But more importantly, how could she have wanted to live the rest of her life with someone like that?

Quietly, Itachi glanced at Sasuke nonchalantly before he continued with what he was doing even. "Is that so?" he said carelessly. He wanted to know more about her past relationship, but this was a conversation between himself and Sakura, not Sasuke.

Sasuke didn't seem to either care or notice Itachi's seeming disinterest in the conversation – more likely the former – for he continued. "I probably shouldn't tell you this," he said. "Sakura wouldn't want me to-."

"Then don't," he interrupted, shooting his younger brother a stern look.

Where was Shisui when he needed him?

Sasuke sighed stressfully. "You should know just in case something else happens between them." For the first time in a long time Sasuke looked him directly in the eyes with a dangerously serious gaze. "He used to physically abuse her."

Itachi visibly froze. He stared straight back at Sasuke, realizing that his younger brother was being completely honest. Which confused him. Sakura was strong and outspoken. The Sakura he knew would fight back or at the very least tell someone about it. Then suddenly he remembered how she had smashed Kiba's car up. _"If you have something to say, I'll be saying something as well."_

Something clicked in Itachi's mind and suddenly everything made sense. She was protecting herself by threatening to tell everyone. She got her revenge on his property for his abuse towards her. If he pressed charges on her attempted assault, she would tell everyone that he used to physically abuse her – probably mentally as well. Kiba would be kicked out of the police force if she told. But Sasuke said he used to physically abuse her as if it was a reoccurring thing. Her form of protection didn't make sense if he kept hitting her. Was the Sakura he knew and the one Kiba knew two different people?

But that thought quickly fled him. Itachi felt himself become dangerously angry and even more protective of Sakura than ever. How dare anyone lay a hand on Sakura. If it wasn't for his position, he would personally fling a couple of fists at Kiba. No man should ever treat their lover so poorly. They were there to be loved, not abused as if they were nothing more than an object.

But before Itachi's anger could override his common sense, Sasuke suddenly sighed again, grabbing Itachi's attention again. "At least it was suspected that he did," he continued. "Sakura never confirmed it; she's always pretended to be fine even if everything was falling apart."

And before he could even think over his younger brother's words, Shisui walked in, apologizing about being late. Their conversation immediately turned to the case, but Itachi could barely stay focused. Now he had something to talk about with Sakura.

"Alright," Shisui said after he had grabbed his own dinner and pulled out his files. "Let's start from when Sakura discovered the picture with the spider."

All three of them pulled out files and reports containing the piece of evidence. "According to Temari's report," Sasuke started, "the picture gave the Kanazawa department a location for the body on the west."

"But the spider in the picture is found only on the east side of the island," Shisui said, reading from Sakura's report.

"The other department found a body though," Sasuke added.

Shisui nodded. "Our killer must have been travelling then."

Itachi quickly read through the report of the medical examiner for the Kanazawa department. "What about the victim in the actual photo?" he asked.

Sasuke grimaced. "We looked but we never found a body."

Suddenly Shisui narrowed his eyes. "Could there be multiple victims that we're missing then? If the killer was taking pictures here, but also killing on the other side of the country we would be missing a lot of bodies."

At his comment, Itachi turned to Sasuke who shook his head. "We thought of that the day after the other officers arrived. Kakashi and Kankuro had teams look over possible locations over here, but their searches came up empty."

"Do we know for a fact that's when the killings start here then?" Itachi asked.

Shisui shook his head. "No, but we're almost certain that they did. We've only had one another body after that initial picture that sent the other department here."

"Well let's make it completely certain, if we can," Itachi said, regarding his cousin with a look.

Shisui nodded in agreement as Sasuke flipped through a couple of files. "Shisui, do you have Temari's report on the handwriting on the back of the pictures?"

The oldest of the three shuffled through a few of his folders before he finally picked one up and passed it to Sasuke. He began skimming her notes as Shisui began speaking: "Temari wrote that at first the department thought that the Camera Killer was making his victims write the locations before he killed them, but after her analysis, she discovered there were two different, distinct scripts," he explained. "Though, because they're somewhat similar, she made the theory that our killer is ambidextrous."

Itachi tilted his head to the side. "Or two relatives working together."

Shisui shot him a look. "Two serial killers. If that's true then-."

"Oh shit," Sasuke muttered loudly, cutting his cousin off. Both Itachi and Shisui looked at him as he dragged a hand down his face. "Sakura had the same theory a little over a week ago."

This time Shisui shot his annoyed look at Sasuke. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Without answering, Sasuke returned to his backpack and Itachi watched as he pulled out the same blue notebook he had earlier. "She said it just in passing," Sasuke explained. He flipped through some pages before he stopped and pushed it across the table to Itachi. "We looked at the possibility one night, but we didn't find any concrete evidence so we didn't bother looking into it further."

Immediately Itachi took the notebook and began reading over everything he had written. Most of the notes discussed the two bodies that were discovered with the single picture, but Sasuke was right; there wasn't any strong evidence. After all, it was the first time a body had shown up on the east side of the island.

Then Itachi froze as a thought crossed his mind. "How long has it been since the last picture was received?"

Sasuke frowned in thought. "I think about two weeks. Why?"

Shisui's eyes widened in understanding as he looked at Itachi and then Sasuke before falling down to his notes. "If it's been two weeks then we should be receiving another one soon."

A look of dread passed Sasuke's face and it fell silent between them as they stared between their notes and each other. Eventually, Itachi cleared his throat. "If we do have another child killed, then we will have to pick up our efforts."

Sasuke sighed loudly. "Yes, but how? Everyone's working overtime, including the Kanazawa transfers. Sakura almost passed out a week ago from staying so long and I've found both Naruto and Genma asleep in the break room."

Shisui nodded. "Sasuke's right. Shizune slept on one of her autopsy tables a couple days ago just in case anything came in or if she thought of something. Everyone is going to collapse if we keep pushing ourselves this hard."

A long moment of silence passed between them. Itachi nodded slowly in understanding, but before he could speak, his phone rang. Quietly, he reached for it, hoping in was just his mother calling, but he already knew it wasn't. His and Sasuke's parents were out of the country on vacation. And he already knew it wouldn't be Sakura calling about something personal. It was definitely work related. "Uchiha Itachi," he answered slowly.

"Superintendent General," Kakashi's voice said. "We received another picture."

A lump formed in the bottom of Itachi's stomach and he closed his eyes for a moment as the weight of the situation pressed down on him. They had been too late to save another child's life. He was going to have to call in a parent and inform them. Already, he could feel the stress of the situation weighing down on him.

Then his sense of authority kicked in and he stood up as he stacked his files together. "Get the dogs, Hatake. And I want every squad called in. As far as we know, the killer could still be at the location."

"Yes, sir," came his reply. "I will inform Chief Superintendent and Superintendent Supervisor as well."

"No," Itachi quickly said. "I will notify them."

Kakashi acknowledged his order before they hung up.

For a short moment of silence, Itachi just stared at his relatives before Sasuke sighed. "We have another body, don't we?"

He didn't wait for an answer as he quickly collected his things and packed them back into his backpack. Itachi didn't wait either as he quickly hurried back into his bedroom to put on something more appropriate – a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved white shirt. He picked up his dark grey jacket on the way out and met his relatives outside. They all got into their own cars before they took off towards the department.

When they arrived, the entire lobby was packed with detectives, K-9 units, and field officers. Genma was breaking everyone up into teams with one Kanazawa officer per unit while Kakashi gave the dog handlers their orders.

Itachi immediately noticed Sakura by the front desk, not only by her bright hair color, but her voice as she spoke with a sense of authority he hadn't heard in a long while. She was dressed in her field uniform and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail with her bangs falling into her eyes as she leaned over a map with team leaders gathered around.

"I want Team Three to start at the rendezvous point and work your way toward the far end of the woods," she said, pointing out her directions on the map. Once Naruto nodded, she turned to Shino. "You're team can cover this section parallel to his" – she pointed to an area on the map – "and I'll take my team next to that. The rest of the groups can spread out between my area and the edge of the forest. This way we can cover most of the more popular areas of the woods." They all nodded without question and she folded up the map as they all straightened their bent postures. "I want radios on at all times," she continued. "These woods are thick and though we all know what we might find in there, I want this mission to be focused on only finding this child."

"How are we going to know when we've found the right body?" Shino asked.

Sakura glared at him. "This is a child, not a depressed, suicidal adult, Aburame. Think the next time you speak."

He flinched slightly and lowered his head slightly, but he quickly looked up again as he and Shisui walked up.

"What location was given?" Itachi asked.

All four team leaders were quiet for a long moment before Sakura cleared her throat lightly. "Aokigahara woods."

Out of the corner of his eyes, Itachi saw Shisui glance at him. "The Suicide Woods," Itachi murmured quietly.

The Aokigahara woods were famous for their beauty and suicide rate. Next to the Golden Gate Bridge in the United States, it held the second highest rate. Just in the past year, over fifty bodies had been found within the forest at the bottom of Mt. Fuji during the local volunteer and police's annual search. Around Tokyo, the woods were rumored to be haunted with the souls of the victims.

Sakura snorted quietly as she shoved the map into her chest pocket. "Bastard just had to make it harder on us to find this girl, didn't he?"

This time Itachi did glance at Shisui to see he had a look on his face that he was thinking the same thing. Then his expression cleared. "I want each team to have a picture of the victim. It's unlikely he would have moved the body after taking a picture."

Just then the elevator door opened and Ino hurried to join the group. She held out a stack of small papers. "I have the photos right here," she announced before she gave one to each team leader.

A look of surprise flashed across Shisui's face. "Oh. Seems you've already thought of that."

Ino looked between him and Sakura. "What?"

Sakura just shook her head as Genma walked up with Shikamaru behind him. They were all carrying a handful of shotguns, which they passed out to each team leader. Naruto shifted the gun from one hand to the next with the barrel pointed at the ground. "At least we'll be able to protect ourselves if that bastard is out in the woods," he said almost more to himself than anyone else.

Genma was about to leave when Itachi reached out a hand to him. "I'll take one as well."

The dark-haired male paused for a moment before he gave him a shotgun and turned to Shisui expectantly. Everyone, including Shisui was staring at Itachi with wide eyes. Itachi knew the reason behind their stares, but he ignored them as he checked his ammunition.

It had to be close to four years since the last time he had been in the field, even if this was only as part of a search party. With his position of authority, there was more paperwork than free time so getting out into the field was nearly impossible. Though, if he had to admit it, it felt good to have a gun in his hand and the feel of importance set in the back of his mind again.

Eventually Shisui turned to Genma and shook his head. "I'm going to stay here and oversee the investigation."

Itachi turned to Sakura to see her reaction, but she was looking down as she too opened the chamber of her gun to double-check her ammunition. When she saw her gun was fully loaded, she quickly closed it again before she doubt-checked the equipment around her waist. When she was sure she had everything, she brushed her bangs out of her face as an expression of resolve settled on her features.

Watching her work, Itachi suddenly got the impression that if Sakura had lived in an archaic age, she would have been a warrior. Her eyes were set in determination and she was dressed as though she were ready for battle, in a sense. Her stance was slightly tense but confident, and the way she was holding the gun made him realize she could have if cocked and ready to fire in a matter of seconds. He wasn't sure who Sakura had been before she came to the Tokyo department, but this was the Sakura he knew; fierce, brilliant, and dangerous.

Suddenly Sakura turned her attention to Kakashi across the lobby. "Hatake, are we set?"

The grey-haired male looked up from where he was turning on radios and checking them. Then he nodded. "All radios are set and ready."

"Is Shizune good to go?" she called.

The elevator doors closed behind Shizune as their medical examiner walked out, holding a bag that Itachi assumed was filled with medical equipment. "I've got the van ready outside."

"Flashlights?" she said next.

Itachi glanced out the doors. The sun was probably an hour away from setting.

"Working and filled with new batteries. I also grabbed extras," Karin said as she walked up with a box. The red-headed woman opened it and allowed for each officer to grab a flashlight before she moved onto another group.

For a moment, Itachi stared in surprise at the fact that Karin and Sakura had just had a "sort of" conversation without so much as a raised voice or angry waves rolling off one of them. Then he realized they were too focused on this search and finding this girl than fighting.

"Are we ready?" Sakura called again to Kakashi.

He nodded and walked out of the lobby, leading the rest of the officers out. They all climbed into vans and cars until everyone was packed in and ready to go for their trip across the city.

* * *

The air was cold and as the sun dipped even lower along the horizon, Sakura could feel the temperature drop even more. Long, threatening shadows stretched across the ground as the sun pierced only the very tops of the trees. Officers already had their flashlights out so they could see where and what they were doing, Sakura included. She had her map spread out across the hood of a squad car as she once again reviewed with the other team leaders she hadn't met up with earlier the grounds they needed to cover. Ino had already passed around the picture the killer sent them and out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed how Itachi kept glancing between the picture and the map she was bent over.

Sakura already had the picture memorized in her head. The girl couldn't have been any older than twelve years old. She was lying on her back with her head tilted back so the image of her slit throat could be seen. Her skin was pale, almost grey, and her eyes were open as she stared sightlessly up at the sky above her. She was wearing torn and bloody blue cotton pants and a lighter blue cotton t-shirt.

It was a sad picture that disturbed her more than the rest. Maybe it was because of the fact she had been working on the case when they finally reached their deadline for finding this child. In all honesty, Sakura hoped another team found the little girl. She didn't want to see what this girl looked like personally.

When Sakura finished explaining the last team's search area, she folded up her map and dismissed them. She started towards her team, which consisted of her old friend, Kankuro, Naruto's girlfriend, Hinata, and the department's new weapon's specialist named Tenten. She had almost made it to her team when she realized she was being followed. She stopped abruptly and turned around to look at Itachi. "You're following me."

Itachi gave her an even look. "Your team has four people while everyone else has five. You need me."

For a long moment Sakura considered arguing, wondering if his words had a double meaning, but when she came up with a blank for why he couldn't be on her team, she nodded and continued towards her group. At their approach, Kankuro threw her a look which she chose to ignore before she turned to everyone. "Does everyone have a radio and a flashlight with extra batteries? We don't want anyone getting lost in here."

When she received nods of conformation, she glanced at Itachi and nodded for him to take the lead. He looked at her for a moment before he stepped into the shadowed woods with Hinata and Tenten right behind him. Kankuro hesitated a moment, his eyes focused on Sakura, before he too started in, leaving Sakura on the outskirts of the forest by herself.

She glanced over her shoulder to see Shizune's van was parked next to the long line of police vehicles. The dark-haired woman was sitting in the driver's seat reading something while a couple of officers stayed with her. Honestly, Sakura wished she could stay back with them – she didn't like these woods – but she had a little girl to find, so taking a deep breath, she turned back to the dark woods before her. "You are now entering the Haunted Woods," she murmured to herself. Then she entered the forest.

* * *

For the first quarter of a mile, the journey was done in silence with only a few comments exchanged between Tenten and Hinata. Sakura had been too busy making sure she didn't trip on any tree roots and keeping an eye out for the child they were searching for to notice when Kankuro had taken the lead and Itachi dropped back to walk next to her.

"I never knew you were one to take charge like that," Itachi murmured as his flashlight moved from the surrounding woods to the ground and back again.

Sakura slid a glance at him. "Um…thanks?"

"It was a compliment," he clarified as they continued walking.

Sakura noticed that Kankuro had started to wander a little to the left to fan the group out a little, but he was still within sight and hearing distance so she didn't give it much thought. She also noticed another quiet conversation started between Hinata and Tenten as they walked, which couldn't be said for her and Itachi as they hiked on in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable by any means, but these woods already made her uneasy so she flickered her flashlight at Itachi before returning it to the ground. "Why did you decide to come along?" she finally asked.

Itachi shrugged slightly. "I have only been doing paperwork for this case. I thought I could be some use out in the field."

"Oh," Sakura murmured. She shined her flashlight down to the ground just in time to stop herself from tripping over a tree branch as they kept walking. "I…I'm sorry about the other day," she said slowly.

Itachi glanced at her for a moment before his eyes turned back to the woods. "Why did you not tell me about your past relationship with Officer Inuzuka?"

She glanced at him for a quick second before she quickly looked away. "I did," she said slowly. "I told you he was my ex."

"You did not specify that he was your ex-fiancé," he said.

Sakura's eyes turned to him sharply and she stared at him in surprise. She was so busy trying to figure out how he knew that and how to respond that she didn't notice the tree root in her path until her foot caught on it and she stumbled. Quickly Itachi caught her and helped her gain her footing, though he didn't let go of her immediately as she stood back up. For a long moment she stared up at him like she used to before everything happened as feelings of warmth and comfort flooded through her.

Then she pulled away. This wasn't the time, and besides it was too awkward.

Eventually she walked away, keeping her eyes on the ground almost more than the woods around them. "I didn't think it was important to tell you," she said slowly.

Itachi caught up to her easily as they walked at an unhurried but steady pace. "That you were previously engaged to be married? Pray tell, what gave you that idea?"

She could have flinched at his tone and this time she purposefully kept her gaze anywhere but on him. "I didn't want-." She stopped herself and took a deep breath. "I didn't want you to judge me…for thinking I was ready to be married at such a young age." A deep frown fell across her face and she chanced a glance at him. "What was I supposed to say to you?" she said stiffly. "He asked me to marry him and a week later I found him in _my_ bed with two whores. What a fucking slap in the face," she finished quietly.

His eyes were on her – she could feel them – but she refused to meet his gaze. "I am sorry for what he did to you, Sakura," he said quietly as his voice sharpened in offense. "But how could you not tell me even after I thought you were having an affair with him?"

She drew to a stop and turned to look at him through the dark. "How could you even think that?" she asked quietly. She could feel herself on the verge of tears, but she refused to cry. This wasn't her fault.

Itachi stopped a couple paces ahead of her. He didn't turn to look at her but she heard him sigh quietly, regretfully. "You and Officer Inuzuka had been acting odd around one another. When I called you into the conference room the second day of the case, you ran into him on your way out. It was obvious you wanted to avoid him, but when I questioned you about it, you always had this scared and guilty look on your face," Itachi said as he turned around to look at her. "And whenever he stared at you, it looked like he wanted nothing more than to get you alone. Then when I saw that hotel card…" He sighed softly. "What was I supposed to think?"

Sakura looked at him accusingly, but she didn't think he could see her expression through the darkness around them. Her tears were closer to the surface than before and a deep pain was beginning to burn in her chest. She tried to swallow, to take deep breathes, anything for it to go away, but nothing worked. Her throat was still scratchy from her small cold and a headache was starting to pound over her right eye, and she wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep for a few years or at least until this problem between her and Itachi was over.

Eventually she shook her head as her grip unconsciously tightened on her shotgun. "You're supposed to trust me," she hissed. She swallowed thickly as her anger began to grow. "But I guess that was too much to ask for."

From the look on his face, she could tell he was trying to think of the right words to say, but her patience was getting thin. Eventually, she shook her head and walked past him, not bothering to see if he was following or not. Though, a moment later, she heard his footsteps behind her.

The silence between them was horribly uncomfortable. Sakura could definitely feel the tension between them, but she tried not to let it get to her as they walked on. She kept her attention fixed between watching the ground, making sure Kankuro didn't go too far off, and something that could look like a little girl's body. She wasn't sure how long they walked on, but eventually they reached a drop in the ground that was about four feet down before the ground leveled off again. Sakura wouldn't have even seen it unless she had been looking on the ground at that moment and she frowned slightly as she looked for an easy way down.

Itachi easily jumped the small distance being as tall as he was and he set his gun down before he reached out to help her. For a moment she hesitated. Then she too placed her weapon down before she slowly walked closer to the ledge. His hands fell to her waist and he easily picked her up and set her on the lower ground before he quickly released her. Then they reached for their guns and continued on without a word.

Her body was still tingling from where Itachi had touched her even after a couple minutes' walk and she realized it was the first time in nearly a week that she and Itachi had any sort of physical contact, not counting the few minutes before when she had tripped. They hadn't touched each other once since the night Sakura had the dream of Neji killing her. For some reason, that made her stomach twist uncomfortably.

But before Sakura could think of it anymore, a loud scream from both Tenten and Hinata sounded. Sakura's head whipped around in their direction and she had her gun raised and directed over the two women's shoulders before anyone could blink. Itachi shot her a look of surprise before both of their flashlights landed on the thing in front of the two women. It was a man in his early thirties. He had hung himself from a tree and from the lack of decomposition, she guessed he had only killed himself a few days before.

Slowly Sakura lowered her weapon as Kankuro bounded back to them. "What happened?" he asked. Then his eyes landed on the body.

"This isn't who we're looking for," Itachi murmured just loud enough for everyone to hear as he approached the two women. "Let's keep moving."

Carefully Sakura watched as he placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder and steered her away from the body, forcing Tenten to move as well. She couldn't help but notice how both women kept their gazes on the ground most of the time now as Kankuro walked just behind them with Itachi following some distance.

Sakura was about to follow when a thought crossed her mind. Quickly she placed her gun against the side of the tree before she pulled out her map and a pen. Using her flashlight, she searched for their location on the map before she marked the spot with a small 'x'.

After she put her map away again, she began walking and caught up to Itachi who had obviously waiting for her. "What were you doing?" he asked quietly.

Sakura's gaze didn't waver from her surroundings. "I marked where the body was on the map. Someone might be looking for him."

Itachi didn't reply, which she didn't know was a good or bad thing as they trekked on. They walked for another ten minutes or so when Sakura heard her radio crackle. _"We've got a child's body,"_ Kakashi's voice said. _"Location is one mile north from the rendezvous point and a quarter of a mile west. Over."_

Immediately Sakura pulled the radio from her hip. "This is Team Two. 10-4, over."

She motioned for everyone else to follow her west as she pulled out her map and turned her flashlight to it to see. She kept her gaze down most of the time, but she could feel Itachi watching her from the back of the group.

About five minutes later, Sakura's group as well as a few more, met up with Kakashi and his team. The body was positioned exactly as the picture, confirming the girl's identity, and as Genma called Shizune, Sakura gave her gun to Kakashi as she knelt down next to the body.

"What do you think?" Kakashi asked. "How long do you think she's been here?"

Carefully Sakura leaned closer as she shined her light on the girl's throat. She tried to get a good look without disturbing her for Shizune, but her shirt was covering a good portion of the wound, making it difficult to see. "It's hard to say. From lack of decomp I would say she's been here for maybe five hours or so." She turned to flashlight to the ground and noticed there was a small shimmering layering the dirt and rocks. "But there's frost on the ground. Because it's been so cold the breakdown of cellular tissue would have significantly decelerated. She could have been here for as long as a few days."

Slowly Sakura stood up and saw Kakashi nodding thoughtfully while Itachi watched her with something akin to pride buried in his dark eyes. Annoyed, she quickly looked away and shined her flashlight around at the other arriving officers. "When Shizune gets here, we'll get her confirmation," Itachi murmured.

Sakura made a noise of acknowledgment as Naruto approached and looked down at the girl. His lipped thinned and his eyes darkened for a moment before he looked at Sakura. "Did you guys run into any other bodies?"

"One," she murmured. "Go find Hinata. I'm sure she could use you right now."

Naruto stared at her for a long second before he nodded and headed through the forest in the direction of the cars with a handful of other police officers. Sakura watched him leave before she turned her flashlight in the opposite direction, deeper into the forest. "Kakashi, what direction did you come from?"

The grey-haired man looked up from where he was examining a map and pointed with his flashlight between where officers were returning to the cars and where Sakura and her team had walked into the area. Kakashi quickly turned back to his map after that and got on his radio to inform Shizune the easiest way through the woods.

Itachi was on his phone probably talking to either Sasuke or Shisui about their findings while the rest of the officers were either making a perimeter or leaving. Without a word, Sakura turned and headed deeper into the forest with only her flashlight in hand. She slowly travelled through the woods, glancing back every once and awhile to be sure she could still hear and see the other officers in the area before she continued further in.

She was searching for anything really that might be evidence in this girl's murder. It felt like she had only walked a short distance when she reached a small river that was running from the mountain. With a soft sigh, she stopped and looked around, finding a small note posted on a tree. At first, Sakura brushed it off, thinking it was one of the many signs posted in the woods, praying for those who had come to kill themselves to reconsider and turn back, but then she realized she had stopped seeing those signs a half a mile in.

Carefully and quietly she stepped up to the tree to find a simple piece of printer paper with handwritten words on it: _"They bleed because of you and they will continue to, Haruno Sakura."_

Her eyes widened and the memory of a heart sliding out of the container she had opened replayed in her mind repeatedly. It had been his first warning.

Quickly Sakura jerked her head up and looked around, searching for any other evidence of someone previously having been there. Her heart was pounding loudly and her quick breaths were sending puffs of mist into the air. The blood was pounding so loudly in her ears she nearly missed the snapping of a branch snap behind her. With a sharp intake of breath, Sakura spun around and searched the surrounding woods with her flashlight, but there was nothing there, only the thick trees and even thicker underbrush.

Her hands were shaking as she quickly turned back to the tree and tore the paper from the trunk before she tucked it into one of the evidence bags she had the habit of caring around. She shoved it into her front pocket behind her map before she quickly hurried back to the area where everyone else was all the while constantly checked the woods behind her as she walked hurriedly.

When she returned, there were only a handful of officers in the area and none seemed to even notice her as she walked up to stand next to Kakashi who was standing a few feet away from where Shizune and Genma and were lifting the girl's body bag onto the stretcher. As soon as they were ready to go, everyone headed back out of the forest and towards the cars. They quickly loaded the stretcher into the back of Shizune's M.E. van before the remaining officers climbed into the police cars.

Without noticing, Sakura climbed into the passenger seat of the vehicle Itachi was driving and she pulled on her seatbelt without so much as a glance at him. Her eyes chanced a look back at the woods for half a second before quickly diverted her eyes away again with a shiver. She hardly noticed as Itachi turned on the heat and pointed most of the fans in her direction as they pulled onto the road and headed back to the department where Sakura was determined to stay the rest of the night to find out all she could about the note.

Besides, she doubted she would sleep anyway.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six  
The Theory

Nearly a week later, Sakura was still working through the evidence of their latest victim. Shizune had identified the girl the day after they found her body and Sakura had only heard the bare end of Itachi informing the family of her murder. Later, he had reported to everyone that the girl had been missing a week before her untimely death as was the case with the previous victims. He had also brought up the possibility of a second killer, which surprised Sakura as well as the rest of the investigators since it had been her idea. Though, Itachi explained that it was still a working theory and that any evidence that supports it should be brought to either his, Shisui or Sasuke's attention. Besides that, there had been no huge leads or breaks in the case.

Well besides the fact that the killer was once again keeping tabs on her.

Throughout the entire week, Sakura had kept the note from the killer a secret. The night she had returned from the search party she had made her way down to her lab and compared the handwriting. The handwriting on the note was a perfect match to one of the two styles on the photos. Temari had almost caught her when she was looking over the results, but Sakura had quickly deleted her scan and threw the letter into the locked filing cabinet only she had access to.

Since then, Sakura could gradually feel herself slowing down and losing focus. She didn't know whether it was stress, her cold or something else entirely, but she could tell it was beginning to show from both Temari and Sasuke's expressions. Honestly, it didn't surprise her that Itachi hadn't asked her if she was alright; they hadn't seen much of each other in the past week.

But Sakura had been too busy to think about him. She didn't know why her cold wasn't going away. She had already had it for almost a month and just as it seemed like it was about to get better, her head would start pounding or she'd wake up with a sore throat. Today was especially bad. Her throat was scratchy and swollen, and she had this horrible cough that was painful all the way down to her chest. She could already tell that she was going to have to take a few days off soon whether she wanted to or not.

With a quiet sigh, Sakura sat on the chair in front of her computers as she began cataloging the evidence from their most recent victim. She had almost gotten through two bags when Temari walked in and stopped next to her. Confused, Sakura stopped typing and looked at her expectantly. When her blonde friend just kept staring, Sakura raised her eyebrow. "Yes?"

"You need a break," she said finally.

Immediately Sakura waved her off as she turned back to her computer and continued with what she was doing. "I'm fine."

A loud yelp of surprise escaped her when Temari grabbed the back of her chair and physically pulled Sakura away from her computer and spun her around. "You look more exhausted than anyone else. You should take a break, even if it's only lunch."

Sakura glanced at the clock before she turned back to her. "It's barely past eleven."

The older woman just shrugged. "C'mon, it'll be fun. You, me, Kankuro and Gaara; just like old times."

For a moment Sakura frowned before she eventually sighed and nodded. She knew it wouldn't have even mattered if she said yes or no. Temari's gentle request could turn forceful in a moment's notice and she would have her way because she was just that headstrong of a woman.

With a soft smile, Sakura turned her chair back around and signed out of her computer before she stood up. Quickly, she shrugged off her lab coat before she grabbed her winter jacket and headed towards the elevator with Temari.

Just as Temari was about to press the up button, the doors opened and Ino walked out. She took two steps and stopped abruptly when she saw the two other women. There was a surprised look on her face but it quickly faded as she glanced between Sakura and Temari with a somewhat unwelcomed expression. "Oh," she said. "Are you going somewhere?"

Sakura stared at her best friend with a somewhat confused expression before she forced a smile onto her face. "Just out to lunch. Was there something you needed?"

Ino gave her an irritated look before it cleared and she shook her head. "Nope. Sasuke wanted you to look at this file, but I'll just tell him you're too busy."

She turned to head back into the elevator, but Sakura quickly grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop. "Wait, Ino. I'm just going out to lunch. I'll be back in a half an hour."

Ino just stared at her.

With a small sigh of exasperation, Sakura let go of her arm and gestured back to her lab. "Just leave it on the table and I'll look at it when I get back."

For a split second Ino just watched her. Then she brushed past Sakura without a word and disappeared into her lab. Sakura watched her go with a half-upset, half-irritated look before she turned back to Temari who was holding the elevator. Silently Sakura joined her before the doors closed and they rode up to the lobby.

"So," Sakura said as they stepped out into the parking lot, "where are we going?"

Temari's mood suddenly seemed to change and she grinned at her sheepishly. "I'm not entirely sure. Gaara and Kankuro told me of this place that they had found, but I really don't know where it is. Though, they did say that a lot of police officers usually go there for lunch."

Sakura's annoyance slowly faded as she and Temari stepped out of the elevator. "Oh, I think I know where they're going," she said, walking past all the cars and out onto the sidewalk. Temari quickly followed her and glanced around as they began walking down the street. "There's a small café nearby that has really good food and even better coffee."

It was only a couple minutes' walk to the café and when they walked inside, they immediately spotted Gaara's red hair and Kankuro's brown locks. They greeted the boys with a small wave before they walked up to the counter and ordered themselves lunch. They got their food surprisingly quickly for it being nearly rush hour and they sat down across from each other at the square table with a boy on each side.

"It's about time someone pulled you away from your work," Kankuro said before he took a bite out of his sandwich. "You were beginning to look as if you were going to keelover any minute."

Sakura half-glared at him. "You're still funny as even, Kankuro."

Her brown-haired friend threw her an incredulous look as Gaara looked at her seriously. "He's right, you know." She turned to look at him as he leaned back in his chair. "Even since we showed up, we haven't even had time to talk to you. You're always hiding in your lab."

"I am not hiding," she retorted defensively.

Temari rolled her eyes. "Of course not. Everyone knows Sakura would never hide," she drawled out sarcastically.

Under the table, Sakura kicked her in the shin, causing Temari to yelp and kick Kankuro who was taking a sip of water at that moment. The drink tipped slightly and spilled down his front causing him to yelp too as Sakura laughed and Gaara chuckled to himself. With a glare at Temari, he put his cup down picked up a napkin to collect the excess water that hadn't seeped into his clothing. Temari held up her hands. "Hey, that wasn't my fault." She pointed at Sakura. "Look at her."

Sakura took a sip of her coffee as her laughter subsided. "Don't blame me for something you did," she said with a smile.

The blonde woman rolled her eyes. "Some things just don't change. You've always been like this."

"Well I apologize I'm right all the time." Sakura said innocently. "It's not like I do it on purpose."

Temari glared at her for a minute longer before her mouth twisted up into a smile. "God, your arrogance never ceases to amaze me."

A smile fell onto Sakura's lips as well and she just gave her a look before she sipped her coffee. Then she looked at each of her friends. "So tell me, what has everyone been up to since I left?"

Kankuro and Gaara both looked at Temari. Slowly she looked up from her own sandwich and glanced back and forth between the two. "Hey, I've already told her what I've been up to."

"When?" Kankuro asked.

Sakura nodded slowly as she chewed and swallowed her mouthful. "One of the first nights you guys came to Tokyo. I was going through evidence and she came down to talk to me in the lab." She threw Kankuro and Gaara a look. "I'm surprised you guys didn't do the same thing."

Gaara picked up his own coffee and raised it to his lips. "I had to stay late a few nights to organize with Supervisor Superintendent Uchiha," he said before he took a sip.

"Shisui?" Sakura asked. "I didn't know he was the type of person to organize anything."

"He's not," Gaara said quietly.

A smile spread across Sakura's face and she laughed lightly as Gaara smirked. Kankuro leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Well I was sleeping like a normal person," he said. "Jet-lag always kicks my ass."

Sakura turned to look at him with a smile. "Well you can tell me what you've been up to now then," she said before she popped the last piece of her sandwich into her mouth. She wiped her fingers on a napkin and crimpled it up before she leaned back in her chair and stared at him expectantly.

Kankuro shrugged. "I haven't really been up to anything. Just trying to get through each day really," he said nonchalantly.

"What he's leaving out is the part where he got a promotion," Temari added.

Sakura glanced at Temari before she turned back to Kankuro. "Really?"

He nodded. "It's Police Inspector Kankuro, now."

"Wow," she murmured. "So you're only a rank below Gaara now?"

Kankuro smiled slightly. "About damn time too. It only took me three years."

Laughing lightly, Sakura turned to Gaara. "So what happened between you and that girl? What was her name? Matsuri?"

Suddenly the light atmosphere thickened as Gaara's expression turned distant. Sakura turned from him and looked at Temari but she was looking at her drink as Kankuro picked at his napkin. "What?" she asked with a frown.

"She died," Gaara said quietly.

Sakura felt her mouth fall open as she stared at her red-headed friend with wide eyes. When she left, he had been head-over-heels in love with her. Her death must have really torn him apart.

"Two years ago," he explained quietly. "In a car accident."

Honestly Sakura didn't know what to say to that so she simply picked up her coffee and took a long drink. A long moment of silence passed between them uncomfortably. Then Temari cleared her throat lightly. "Well, what about you, Sakura?" Temari said, trying to ease the tension around them. "You going to tell us how you and Uchiha-sama got together?"

Sakura smiled but it was a little too forcefully. "Don't call him that. He already has a huge ego as it is."

"And yours must be right up there with his," someone added.

Sakura didn't look up immediately. She knew it was Kiba long before she picked up her gaze to meet his. He was standing at the corner of the table between Temari and Gaara with a dark, arrogant expression. Temari snapped her eyes to his, and Gaara and Kankuro visibly tensed at his sudden arrival but that was all the reaction they gave. "So," Kiba continued, "how did you land Uchiha Itachi anyway?"

Calmly Sakura took a deep breath and pushed her anger down as she looked at him evenly. "Some people just deserve good partners," she said almost nonchalantly, indirectly insulting him.

He quickly caught onto the implication of her words and glared at her. "People like you?" he said coldly. "You know, replacing my headlights cost quite a bit of money."

Shrugging, Sakura set down her coffee. "Call it a really late engagement present." His glared darkened but she ignored him as she stood up and pushed in her chair. "I'm going to head back to the station. Thanks for letting me join you three for lunch." She cast a glance to each of them before she turned and walked out.

As she hurried back down the road, Sakura felt her anger rising. She didn't know what she had to do to make Kiba leave her alone, but god damnit she was going to find a way. She wasn't that same insecure, shy girl she used to be. She was fucking strong and she was going to damn well prove it.

Practically spitting in fury, Sakura marched through the lobby and jammed the down button to go to her lab. She would drop off her stuff and then get back to work. Working alone always helped calm her down, and besides it would allow her the chance to finish with that she was doing before Temari dragged her out to lunch.

The dinging of the elevator doors brought Sakura back to the presence and she quickly stepped into the small elevator before she once again stabbed the button for her lab with her finger. She waited impatiently for the doors to open again, and when they finally started to slide apart, she slipped between them before they were even open all the way. Angrily, she marched into her lab and threw her keys onto the back table. Just as she was about to grab her phone, which she didn't realize she had left, a loud thump came from the backroom. Automatically Sakura's eyes sought out the noise and she felt her anger surge even more viciously. "What the fuck are you doing in my lab?" Sakura snapped.

Karin sneered at her as she set the box she had been carrying down on the examining table. "Well good afternoon to you too, bitch."

Sakura wasn't in the mood to deal with the red-haired, four-eyed, whiney, condescending little girl at the moment. "I said what the fuck are you doing in my lab?" she hissed so darkly even Karin stopped what she was doing.

"First of all," Karin said snobbishly, "since you became a field officer, it's technically Sasuke's lab now-."

"I don't give a shit!" Sakura all but screeched. "Why are you fucking here?"

She crossed her arms defensively and looked at her smugly. "Because Superintendent General Uchiha-sama asked me to and besides I think you need to reorganize you lab. You stuff is absolutely everywhere."

Sakura looked over to her desk to find the boxes of evidence she had been cataloging were gone and the file that she knew Ino had placed on the table wasn't there. She felt her breath catch in her chest before it came out in deep heaving breathes. Without another word to Karin, she spun on her heels and rode the elevator back to the top floor. She crossed her arms and scanned the floor with a dark glare. She knew Itachi was in his office the moment she saw Shisui walk out and close the door behind him. Immediately Sakura marched over to Itachi's office and walked through the door without so much as knocking. Itachi looked up in surprise upon her entrance, but he didn't say anything as she slammed the door behind her. "Why the fuck is she in my lab?" Sakura snapped.

With a soft sigh, Itachi returned to the file in front of him. "It's a shared lab, Sakura."

"She's reorganizing my shit!" she hissed.

Slowly he set down his pen and looked at her. "You two are just going to have to find a method that works for both of you," he said just a calmly as before.

Sakura threw her hands into the air angrily and began pacing a few steps each direction in front of his desk. "She doesn't work like that. She's impossible to agree with and she won't even listen to what I have to say!"

"So you ran directly to me?" he asked condescendingly.

Sakura stopped mid-step and turned on her heels to look at him with a sharp glare. "Are you comparing me to a child?"

His eyebrow rose. "Is that not what you're acting like?"

If possible, Sakura felt her anger go up another notch, but instead of making a sharp comeback she headed for the door. "Fine. Apparently you don't need me so I'm going to go home and stay out of the _grown-ups'_ ways."

Her hand grabbed the doorknob and was about to open the door when Itachi sighed. "Hold on, Sakura."

She stopped but didn't lose her grip on the handle or turn to look at him.

"You know I did not mean it that way," he said evenly, but she could still hear the frustration in his voice. "I just think that with this case expanding, you need an extra set of hands."

She dropped her grip on the handle and turned around to look at him. "So why didn't you call Temari? What the fuck were you thinking?"

Suddenly a dark expression fell across Itachi's face and his eyes flashed dangerously. "Watch it, Sakura."

She swallowed thickly, but her anger was still bubbling close to the surface. She turned around and took a few steps away from Itachi to calm herself – and the raging headache pounding behind her eyes – enough to think clearly before she turned around and walked right back. "Why the hell didn't you just call Temari? You know full well she's more capable of doing my job than Karin! The fucking bitch can hardly tear herself away from her fucking phone long enough to realize someone's talking to her."

And suddenly all of Sakura's anger was back and she was flat out glaring at Itachi. His own expression was still dark, obviously not amused with her language or her blatant disrespect. "Temari-san is currently busy with her own work and Karin was the only person able to take up your work in your absence."

Sakura's mouth dropped in disbelief. "My absence? I went out to lunch for twenty minutes!"

Itachi nodded slightly in understanding even as his eyes darkened. "Yes, but we still need evidence to be cataloged and tests to be run at all times if we are going to keep up with this case. As unfortunate as it may be in your eyes, Sato was the only one available to take up your work."

She ground her teeth together. "That's a disgustingly sad commentary in and of itself. She can't even do her fucking job! Why do you even keep her around?"

Itachi sat up straighter in his chair as an air of anger swirled dangerously around him. "For the very same reason I keep you around."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" she snapped harshly. "I put so much work into what I do and all she does is play her god damn computer games-."

"Enough, Sakura," Itachi suddenly said, cutting her off from the rest of her rant.

For a moment she stopped being absorbed in her own anger and finally looked at Itachi. She hadn't notice when his expression turned from irritated to flat-out pissed off and she found herself staring into a pair of frigid obsidian eyes. Obviously she had not only crossed a line but outright sprinted across it into the next territory over.

"Go home," he finally said, his voice thick with suppressed anger. "I don't want to see you for the rest of the day."

Pursing her lips together, Sakura threw him one more glare before she stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her. The entire floor was so loud that no one had even heard the door and quickly Sakura made for the staircase, sprinting down four flights before finally slowing her pace.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura collapsed against the wall and closed her eyes as she absolutely shook in anger. Tears of anger bubbled in her eyes and she fisted her hands together tightly as she closed her eyes. Her heart was pounding in her ribcage, desperately trying to break out, and her breathing was still erratic like she couldn't get enough air into her lungs. Forcefully, Sakura breathed in through her nose and out her mouth as she attempted to physically calm her body and mentally cool her temper.

Nothing worked and with one loud, angry cry Sakura punched the wall hard enough that she heard something in her hand crack. She cried out in pain and looked at her hand to see she had bruised all the knuckles on her hand. The pain helped ease her anger, but it still took her a couple of minutes to calm herself down as she slid to the concrete floor and she pinched her eyes closed to stop her tears.

For a few moments, she just sat there as she tried to keep her emotions at bay. When she opened her eyes, she traced the nonexistent patterns on the gray stairs. She had made out a couple of shapes on the concrete before she closed her eyes again at the pounding behind her eyes, and just when she thought it wasn't going to get any worse, her stomach flipped and she swore she was going to throw up.

In all honesty, Sakura had no idea how long she sat on the stairs before she finally forced herself to stand against her body's will. She took the rest of the stairs slowly and quickly grabbed her car keys and her wallet out of her lab before Karin could notice her presence. Then she headed back to the parking lot and made her way to her car. Surprisingly she found a card stabled to her windshield by her wiper blade. With a soft sigh, Sakura picked it up to find that instead of her name on the envelope, there were three words: _I love you_.

Immediately she recognized Kiba's mocking handwriting and without a second thought, she ripped it in half and tossed it on the ground before angrily getting into her car. He was doing it just to piss her off now. Quickly Sakura made her way back to her apartment in silence with not even the radio to distract her. Her head was spinning as her headache turned into a migraine and her hand was throbbing painfully, and the worst yet, the image of Itachi's anger kept replaying over and over in her mind.

Honestly, Sakura had no idea why Kiba was here and what he wanted. She had taken everything she owned when she left and destroyed everything that reminded her of him. Why couldn't he leave her alone? Everything was perfect before he came back. She was happy with Itachi and she was still talking to Ino, and Sasuke was beginning to act less like an annoying, overprotective brother and more like a boss with his stern looks. Now all he sent her were these pitiful glances.

With a deep sigh Sakura pulled into the parking area just outside her apartment building and quickly shut off her engine before she stormed up the stairs to her apartment. She slammed her door closed behind her before she kicked off her shoes and threw her jacket across the back of her couch before continuing further into her house. Loudly, she emptied out the pockets of her jeans and threw her keys and phone carelessly down onto her kitchen table.

For a moment she just stared at them, not knowing what to do with herself and gazed around her apartment. She took in the simple furniture littered neatly around the rooms and realized after a moment that she didn't spot one thing that belonged to Itachi. Whenever they spent the night together it was always her at his place; very rarely the other way around. For some reason that made her clench her teeth, but she didn't know if it was because she remembered Itachi was angry with her or the fact that most of her belongings were at his place.

With another sigh – she had been doing that a lot lately – Sakura turned down the hall and walked into the bathroom. She flipped on the light and stood at the counter to look herself in the mirror. Kankuro was right; she did look like she was about to keel over. Automatically Sakura's eyes travelled down her body until she stopped at the top of her shirt. The top two buttons of her shirt were undone, but that's not what drew her attention. It was the necklace around her neck; the one Itachi had given her for Christmas last year. It was still as beautiful as the day he gave it to her and reminded her of happier times.

A moment passed as Sakura stared at the necklace, contemplating whether or not to take it off. She and Itachi had been fighting – well it was more like a cold war – for over a week and things between them didn't seem likely to change anytime soon. Slowly, her fingers reached for the clasp, but they fell back down to her sides again a moment later. She knew that even though they weren't getting along at the moment, she couldn't take it off. If Itachi ever gave her anything that she truly valued, it was her necklace and to take it off would signify that their relationship was nearing the bottom of the black spiral they had been flying down recently.

Now if it was Kiba's gift that would be something entirely different. Then she froze.

 _The ring._

With a look of disbelief of her face Sakura turned to look at her make-up bag. She dumped all her make-up supplies onto the counter carefully so she didn't hurt her already injured hand before she found the small tear in the bottom where she had shoved the ring Kiba had given her when he asked her to marry him.

How could she forget about something so important? More importantly, what would Itachi have said if he found this?

It was obviously an engagement ring with the center diamond and the small rubies around the edge. Yes, she knew he knew how close she and Kiba had been; he had told her in the woods that he knew. She wasn't sure how he knew exactly – she suspected it was Sasuke; he was one of the only people who knew – but she hoped to god that Itachi didn't know the other half of their relationship; the abusive part. What would he say if he knew? She didn't want him to think that she couldn't take care of herself. She didn't want him to think that she needed him.

Quickly shaking the thought out of her mind, Sakura returned to the kitchen and picked up her car keys. She was about to turn and leave again when her phone suddenly started ringing. Turning around, Sakura picked it back up and looked at the screen the see it was Ino calling her. For a fraction of a second, Sakura considered answering it, but then she realized Ino had probably heard about her yelling match with Karin and then Itachi. She really wasn't in the mood to be chastised so she hit the ignore button before she turned her phone off and set it back down on the table.

Sakura made her way back out to her car afterward and drove into town. She parked in an open lot and entered a pawn shop she had only ever driven by before. An elderly man greeted her and took a great interest in the ring, but she didn't care about how much she got for the ring; she just wanted it gone. So when the man offered her two hundred thousand yen for it, Sakura accepted without a second thought and returned home with a feeling of satisfaction and relief.

Unfortunately the feeling didn't last long and before she could even find a proper place to put the money, she was in the bathroom throwing up. She wasn't entirely sure how long she stayed bent over the toilet, but when she was done, she stumbled to her bed and collapsed on it and didn't wake up until the next morning feeling worse than she had in years.

* * *

When Sakura didn't show up for work the next two days, Itachi had been furious. He knew he had sent Sakura home a few days before, but he hadn't told her to take the rest of the week off too, and as he reached her voicemail for the third time just that day he felt his patience with her stretching impossibly thin. As his most recent attempt at calling Sakura ended the same way as the others, he slammed his phone down onto his desk and headed towards Sasuke's office. His door was slightly cracked so he walked right in without knocking.

Upon his entry, Sasuke looked up from his computer and glanced at him before he continued with what he was doing. "Why are you so pissed off?" he asked casually.

"Have you heard from Sakura at all?" he said as evenly as he could. "She's not answering her phone."

Sasuke snorted. "Of course she's not," he said as he continued looking at his computer. "She's probably sleeping."

Itachi's brows pulled together. "Sleeping?"

Slowly Sasuke looked up from his computer to look at Itachi like he had asked the stupidest question ever. "She's home sick, Itachi."

Suddenly all of his anger faded as he remembered the nearly constant headaches Sakura had been having for the past few weeks, the exhaustion etched onto her face, and the scratchiness barely audible in her voice. "What?" he said slowly.

Sasuke shrugged slightly. "I'm surprised she didn't call in a few weeks ago. She's been looking like she's about to drop dead for a few weeks now," he said as he leaned back in his chair. "She told me that she would have come in today but she's been throwing up all morning." Then suddenly understanding dawned on his face and he cocked an eyebrow at him. "She didn't tell you, did she?"

Quickly Itachi shook his head. "That's irrelevant. Did she say how long she would be gone?"

Sasuke threw him a look. "She's sick, Itachi. Not taking a vacation."

Itachi glared at him slightly before he turned and walked out of Sasuke's office and back into his own to countdown the time until it would be appropriate for him to take a lunch break. He had made it to eleven before his impatience and worry kept him from focusing on work. Without a word to either of his family members, he left the office and made his way to Sakura's apartment, using his key to get through the closed the door behind him as quietly as he could and looked around to find every light was off.

Quietly, Itachi started further into her apartment only to stop after taking a few steps when he kicked something. Looking down, he found that Sakura had randomly kicked off her clothing and let them fall wherever they did. He frowned slightly as he silently he bent down to place her shoes by the door. Then he picked up her jacket and hung it on the back of one of her kitchen chairs. Once it was secure on the backrest, he started towards her bedroom only to stop again when he looked at the tabletop. His eyes widened when he saw a large stack of money with a receipt over it next to her keys and wallet. There was at least a thousand yen sitting out, which he found strange. Sakura was surprisingly careful with her money so as to why she had left so much sitting out he had no idea.

Curiously, Itachi took a closer look at the receipt to see she had sold some type of ring to them. The paper described it as a silver band with three gems atop it, but that was all the description it gave.

Eventually he turned away from it and headed down the hall towards Sakura's room. He turned on the hallway light before he quietly stepped inside her room and approached her bed on the far side of the room. He found her lying in bed with the covers kicked down to her mid-thighs. She was wearing a simple black tank top and a pair of white-laced panties, but the moment he saw her face, he felt all of his frustrations and anger vanish.

A frown graced his lips when he saw how exposed and vulnerable she looked. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, but her bangs were in her face as they stuck to her sweaty forehead. There were dark circles under her eyes and her skin was pale and damp with sweat. Itachi thought he had seen Sakura at her worst before, but this was on an entirely new level and he found that as hard as he tried, he couldn't hold onto the irritation he had been feeling since their argument in his office.

Quietly Itachi sat on the edge of her bed and brushed her hair out of her face as carefully as he could. The contact caused Sakura to stir and she groaned low in the back of her throat as she stretched lightly. A moment later she opened her eyes. "Itachi?" she asked.

She said his name like she couldn't believe he was there and it made his chest tighten uncomfortably. "How are you feeling?" he asked quietly.

She groaned again and pressed her eyes tightly together. "Like shit. It feels like my head is going to explode."

Itachi frowned inwardly. He could hear the misery in her sick-roughened voice. "Have you taken anything?" he asked as his hand brushed over her forehead again.

She shook her head before she rolled onto her side. "No. I've hardly been awake long enough to."

Carefully Itachi stood before he looked back down at her. "I am going to go get you some medicine. Don't fall back asleep."

Sakura nodded and hummed in acknowledgment, but her eyes were already closing again and her shoulders were visibly relaxing. Quickly Itachi walked into her bathroom across the hall and paused a moment when he saw her make-up was strewn across the counter. With a confused expression, he dumped everything back in and pushed her bag to the corner of her counter before he grabbed a bottle of Tylenol from a drawer.

When he returned to her room, he dumped a couple of pills into his hand before he gently shook her awake and helped her sit up. He placed the pills into her hand and reached for the bottle of water on her nightstand before he handed it to her. Itachi watched as Sakura held the bottle with a shaking hand and he quickly grabbed the bottom and helped her hold it steady as she greedily sucked the water down. His eyes narrowed in confusion when he saw the dark, painful-looking bruises along the back of her hand but he was forced to take his eyes off it when she let go of the water bottle when it was nearly empty.

Then she collapsed against his shoulder and closed her eyes. Carefully Itachi placed the water bottle back down before he wrapped his arms around her and gently laid her back down. "Do you need anything else?" he asked quietly as he shifted slightly so he could pull the covers over her.

She shook her head as she gripped them and pulled them up to her shoulders and settled before she kicked them off again a moment later. He frowned slightly but didn't say anything about it. "Why did you not call me?" he asked eventually.

Sakura shook her head slightly and cast her gaze downwards. "You've barely so much as looked at me these past few weeks. Why would I?"

Itachi sighed quietly and he ran his fingers through her hair as they sat together in silence. He could feel her pain and anger underneath her careless façade and it made his own chest tighten uncomfortably. He didn't understand how their relationship had spiraled out of control so fast. He desperately wanted to fix it but he didn't know how and it made him feel helpless. But before he could say anything, his phone suddenly rang. He felt Sakura tense under his fingers from the sudden sound before he pulled away and answered it. "Uchiha Itachi," he said.

Sasuke was on the other end. "Where are you?" he asked. "Temari was able to match the blade our latest victim was killed with. Apparently it's rare. This could be our lead."

Itachi nodded slowly. "I'll be there shortly."

"Well, hurry," Sasuke said before he hung up.

Slowly Itachi lowered his phone from his ear and placed it back in his pocket before he turned his attention back to Sakura. "I have to return to the department."

Sakura nodded slowly. Then she opened her eyes and looked up at him shyly. "Do you think you could stay a little bit longer; just until I fall asleep?"

He sighed quietly. "I can't. Temari-san possibly found us our next lead." He saw her disappointed expression. "But I will come see you after work, alright?"

Sakura just stared at him for a long moment as her face slowly took on a mixed expression of painful betrayal and utter annoyance that bordered on real anger. Then she slowly shook her head. "Don't bother," she said quietly, angrily. "I'm sure you'll be busy with paperwork or something."

Then before Itachi could reply, she rolled over onto her side so her back was to him. For a long moment he just stared at her in disbelief as he tried to understand how her mood could have changed so rapidly. He couldn't tell exactly what she was feeling and that deeply bothered him, but he knew it was urgent that he returned to work. Slowly and without a word, he stood from her bed and walked through her apartment, closing the front door behind him just as quietly as he had come.

* * *

When Sakura heard her front door close she opened her eyes and shifted from her position on her side to roll onto her back so she could stare at the place she had last seen Itachi. She gazed at the edge of her bed for a long moment with tears in her eyes and a deep throbbing pain in her chest as she wondered how he could just leave her like that.

Maybe she had been wrong and there just wasn't any hope left for them. After all, she had always wondered what Itachi saw in her. She had laughed it off with Ino saying that it was "her perfect body and great personality" but most of the time she, herself, wondered what it really was. She was only one woman, and she knew Itachi could have anyone he wanted.

With a soft sob, Sakura closed her eyes and laid in her silent apartment as sleep slowly came over her.

* * *

" _Mommy, wake up! I have to go to school soon," a childish voice said._

 _Slowly Sakura opened her eyes and picked up her head to see a little girl was standing next to her bed. Her hair was the darkest shade of black and she had the greenest pair of eyes Sakura had ever seen. The girl couldn't have been any older than eight, and in the back of her mind, Sakura knew she was her daughter._

 _With a quiet groan, Sakura pushed herself out of bed and walked into her closet. Quickly she pulled on a pair of jeans before she tugged her tank top off and found a bra. As she hooked it on, she ducked her head out of her closet and turned to her daughter. "Minako, go eat some breakfast. I'll be out in a minute."_

 _The young girl frowned before she eventually headed out of the room and into the kitchen. When Sakura heard the clinking of dishes she turned to her dresser and pulled on a black button up shirt before she walked into her bathroom. Quickly she turned on the faucet and waited for the water to get warm before she washed the sleep from her face. She then dried her face and her hands with a towel from the rack before she finished her morning routine of brushing her teeth, then her hair before putting on some perfume._

 _When Sakura was sure that she was presentable for the day, she slipped on a pair of high heels and headed into the kitchen for a cup of coffee. She quickly poured the brown liquid into a mug before she glanced at the clock._

" _Oh dear. Minako, we really need to go," Sakura said._

 _Her daughter quickly jumped out of her seat and threw her dishes into the sink before she ran across the apartment to retrieve her school stuff. Sakura dropped her own cup into the sink and grabbed her purse before she waited by the front door Minako. The girl came back with her shoes on and her backpack slung over her shoulder with her favorite stuffed animal in hand. It was a monkey that was used as a slingshot. It would have been cute if it didn't scream when it was thrown._

 _Sakura eyed it suspiciously. "Minako, what are you doing with that?"_

 _Minako just looked at her. "It's show-and-tell today, mommy."_

 _Sakura frowned slightly, wondering if she was going to get any calls from the school today, but she didn't say anything as she opened the door and walked with her daughter to the car. They arrived in front of the school just as the last of the school buses were arriving. Sakura stopped next to the curb to let her daughter out before she kissed her forehead and said a farewell. Minako smiled before she hopped out and ran across the schoolyard with her monkey in hand._

 _Sakura waited until her daughter was out of sight before she left the elementary school and head towards the coffee shop she went to every Friday morning to get her work done. She ordered a cappuccino and took the only chair at her usual table before she pulled out a folder containing all the documents that needed to be signed by her. As the head of the homicide department at the local police station in Yokohama, Sakura found she always had more paperwork to do than actual fieldwork. She always took Fridays off to get caught up on work and because she was capable of also keeping up on her- cases, her boss had allowed her to do so without counting it as leave-time._

 _Sakura had gotten through a few pages when her coffee finally arrived and she set her pen down to just enjoy the warmth and wonderful smell before she took a long drink. When she finally set her drink down again, the bells above the door chimed and Sakura looked up as the person she never expected to see again walked through the door._

Uchiha Itachi.

 _Her eyes widened and she quickly looked down, hoping he wouldn't notice her, especially with that dark-haired, beautiful woman at his waist. But her bright hair color was always a downfall for her and Itachi walked straight towards her with a small look of surprise on his own face. "Haruno Sakura," he said in that silky smooth voice she remembered so well._

" _Uchiha-sama," she greeted lightly._

 _She saw his eyebrow raise at the title, but before either of them could say anything, the woman at Itachi's side gasped. "You're Haruno Sakura?"_

 _She hesitated. "Yes?"_

" _Oh my god! I've heard so much about you," she said, her bright eyes widening. "It's amazing what you did on the East Coast Killer case and I-."_

" _Maya," Itachi interrupted lightly. "Why don't you go order our coffees."_

 _She pouted slightly but her smile returned a moment later when Itachi handed her his card. When she was gone, they watched each other awkwardly. A long silence stretched between them until Itachi cleared his throat lightly. "You look good," he commented._

 _Sakura's blank expression didn't waiver. "I feel good," she lied._

 _Itachi nodded slightly. "How have you been?"_

" _Fine," she answered shortly. "And yourself?"_

" _Fine," he murmured._

 _When he showed no hint of saying anything else Sakura returned to her work. She had only read a couple of words when he cleared his throat. "Nara-san told me you are a mother now." He paused. "How old is she?"_

 _Sakura ran her tongue over her bottom lip before she pulled it into her mouth and chewed on it. "Eight next month."_

 _He nodded slowly. "So you conceived around the time we-."_

" _She's not yours," Sakura cut in. She wasn't going to go back into that time of her life. She didn't know why Ino had told him about her pregnancy but she sure as hell wasn't going to let Itachi know that the last thing he gave her was her daughter._

 _Something akin to disappointment flashed across his face, but it vanished as Maya approached. She handed him his drink with a kiss to his cheek before she looked at Sakura. "So, may we join you-?"_

" _We're leaving," Itachi interrupted._

 _Maya's mouth opened in surprise but she closed it a moment later as she smiled. "Oh, okay. Nice to meet you, Haruno-san."_

 _Sakura nodded slightly before the dark-haired woman walked out. Itachi hesitated a moment before he eventually took a step backwards. "Bye Sakura," he said quietly._

 _She didn't reply and waited until their car pulled out of the lot before she let out a long, shaky breath. The pain in her chest returned just as strong as the last time they had parted ways and she did everything she could to stop her tears from surfacing in her eyes._

 _Soon enough, Sakura was packing up her barely touched paperwork to retrieve her daughter from school. She had just pulled up to the curb when the final bell rang. Kids immediately poured out of the classrooms, running and screaming as they headed towards their parent's cars. Sakura searched for her daughter in the mayhem, but she didn't see her until she was practically at the door. Without a word, Minako tossed her bag into the back before she climbed into the passenger seat with a frown. Sakura watched as her daughter buckled her seatbelt and threw her monkey onto the floor of the car._

 _Sakura frowned. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"_

 _As they drove, Minako was quiet; so quiet that Sakura was seriously beginning to worry, but as she pulled into their apartment complex, her daughter sighed. "Mommy, why don't I have a daddy?"_

 _Sakura tried not to react until she parked her car in a parking space. Quickly she shut off her car engine. She stared at the windshield blankly as she tried to figure out what to say. "What happened at school today, honey?" she finally asked, turning to look at her daughter._

 _Minako frowned. "One of the kids in class brought his daddy for show-and-tell, and I don't have a daddy." Tears began to show in her eyes and Sakura had to forcefully keep her own down so she didn't scare her daughter. "Did my daddy not want me?"_

 _Sakura swallowed thickly as her last moments with Itachi replayed in her mind. She could remember the stress lines on his face and the conflict in his eyes right before he turned around and walked away. "No, sweetheart. Of course he did," she said in a strained whisper. "Your daddy didn't want me."_

With a sharp gasp Sakura snapped her eyes open. She was covered in sweat from head to toe and her breath was coming in faster than she could barely handle. A dreadful sense of fear was coursing through her chest and quickly Sakura bolted out of bed to stumble across the hall to the bathroom. She fell to her knees in front of the cabinet under her sink and frantically searched through the cabinet for the box of pregnancy tests Ino had given her as a joke a year ago. Frantically she dug one out and read the directions hurriedly: pee on the stick, wait two minutes, one strip is negative, two is positive.

Quickly Sakura stood up and yanked her panties down before she followed through with the first step. When she was finished, she placed the stick on the counter by the sink and sat on the edge of her bathtub. Her eyes kept flashing from her hands to the clock on the wall as she tapped her foot against the floor impatiently – or was it nervously?

Sakura could feel herself getting fidgety as she tapped everything: her fingers, her feet, her entire body couldn't sit still.

Then the second hand reached the twelve again and she froze. Slowly she stood up and crossed the short distance to the counter where her test was lying innocently. She held her breath as she looked at the white strip to see a clear blue line…with another one right above it.

It was positive. She was pregnant.

Immediately upon realizing she was with Itachi's child, Sakura's legs gave out on her and she used the wall to carefully lower herself to the ground as she cried. "No," she murmured. "No, no, no, no, no!" Sobs racked her entire body and she pulled her legs to her chest before she rested her forehead on top of her knees. She felt like she was going to be sick, but for an entirely different reason this time.

How could this have happened? She had been on birth control.

Until her prescription ran out, she realized. She had stopped taking it nearly a week before the last time she and Itachi had sex. How could she have been so stupid? Of course she would get pregnant by having unprotected sex with him. How long ago was that night? It had been the day before the start of the case so exactly three weeks to the day. She was three weeks pregnant; only eight months and one week to go.

 _Exactly,_ she thought as understanding made her freeze.

Slowly she pulled her head up from her knees as realization flooded her mind. It was two weeks exactly every single time. How could someone send a letter so exact every time, especially when across the country?

Unless they knew the mailing system.

Her heart leapt into her throat and she quickly jumped to her feet before she ran back into her room. She tugged on a pair of sweats and yanked a sweatshirt over her head before she practically sprinted out the door, grabbing her phone, wallet and keys on the way. The entire way to the police department Sakura sped, ignoring speed limit signs and yellow lights. She pulled into the parking lot in record time and parked her car along the many rows before she all but ran into the lobby.

Upon her entrance, the security guard looked at her in surprise, but she ignored him as she jammed the button for the elevator and quickly stepped inside. She rode to the top floor impatiently and hurried towards Sasuke when she stepped out and spotted him. He was leaning over Naruto's desk in the middle of the room, discussing something with him.

"Sasuke!" she quickly interrupted.

He looked up abruptly and stared at her in a mix between confusion and surprise as he looked her up and down. "Sakura, what the hell are you doing here?"

For a moment, it crossed her mind that she had pretty much just rolled out of bed and looked ten times worse than she did when she ended up staying in her lab over night. But then she focused. "The photos, they've been coming in through the mail, right?"

"Sakura, why are you here?" he asked, blatantly ignoring her question.

She quickly shook her head, brushing him off. "Just answer the question."

He watched her for a long moment before he nodded slightly. "Yes."

"They've been coming in every two weeks, right? Exactly, right on the date?" she continued, talking as fast as her mouth could move.

He nodded again. "Yes."

"Even on the west coast?" she clarified.

Sasuke's expression was becoming more confused and annoyed with every passing second. "Yes, what is your point, Sakura?"

Before she could answer another voice cut in. "What is she doing here?" It was Itachi.

Quickly Sakura turned so she was facing both Itachi and Sasuke. "Our serial killer works in the postal service."

Silent met her words as Sasuke and Itachi shared a look. For a long moment they both just stared at her before Itachi spoke quietly. "What is your proof of this?"

For half a second, Sakura just stared at Itachi as she registered his tone. He obviously didn't believe her and from Sasuke's expression, he felt the same. Taking a deep breath, she turned from them and marched up to the whiteboard where all the original photos were posted with their dates underneath. "All of these photos have come exactly two weeks apart even when our serial killer was bouncing between the west and east coast," she explained quickly. She didn't know when the floor had fell silent, but she was so focused on proving her theory that she hardly noticed. "The postal service is not that precise," she continued. "And not just anyone could slip a letter into our mail; we don't have a mailbox. Whatever mail comes into this building is directly from the mailman." She paused to catch her breath. "They have to work in the postal service."

Once again she was met with silence, but when she looked between Sasuke and Itachi, she could see the contemplative looks on their faces. She stood absolutely still as she held her breath, waiting for their decision. Then Sasuke nodded. "I agree with her theory." His eyes slid to Itachi, obviously waiting for his own opinion.

Her eyes fell to Itachi as he slowly approached the board and looked it over. She watched him closely, but didn't dare move as his expression deepened. Then he nodded. "As do I."

Sakura felt herself physically slouch in relief and she briefly met Itachi's eyes before he turned and began giving orders. It was all just chatter in the background to her as she turned back around to look at the photos on the board. She frowned slightly at the fact that it took her so long to realize it, but then her head began to pound again from the stress of her discovery, both now and from nearly a half an hour ago.

But she wasn't given much time to think about it as someone stopped next to her. "You don't look so well," Itachi said softly.

Sakura shook her head as she raised a hand to her forehead. "I don't feel so well."

Just then Itachi placed an arm around her shoulders and began steering her towards his office. She allowed him to tug her along but then she felt a certain panic set in, and she purposely drew to a stop a few steps away from his office and shook her head. "Ino," she said through clenched teeth. "I need Ino."

Itachi nudged her forward. "Go lay down in my office and I will get her."

Sakura nodded and allowed Itachi to pull her the rest of the way into his office and to the couch in the corner. The moment she sat down on the white cushions, he released his firm but gentle grip on her and hurried back out. By the time he was through the door, she was practically hyperventilating. A couple of minutes later, Ino arrived and stopped in the doorway. "Did you need something, Sakura?" she asked nonchalantly.

When Sakura looked up at her there were tears furiously streaking down her face and falling onto her lap. "I need you," she cried.

Immediately Ino's expression softened and she kicked the door shut behind her as she hurried to Sakura's side, all of her built up anger and annoyance forgotten. "Sakura, sweetie, what's wrong?"

She couldn't breathe. "I'm–I. I'm preg–preg."

Ino narrowed her eyes in confusion. "You're what?"

"I'm pregnant," she choked out.

Ino froze. "Oh my god…" Sakura could see that she desperately wanted to smile, but with her tears still falling rapidly down her face, Ino could only stare at her in confusion. "Sakura, what's wrong?"

She kept sobbing. "He-he doesn't love me. How can I-? How am I supposed to-? What am I going to do?"

With a sad look, Ino pulled Sakura against her and ran her hands soothingly up and down her back. "First of all, calm down. You're stressing so much you can't think clearly," she said calmly. "After that, we can figure something out. Don't worry," she said softly. "I'll help you through this."

Even with Ino's gentle command Sakura cried for a good few more minutes as she held onto her best friend like she was the only thing keeping her from complete and utter despair. Slowly her eyes began to dry but her chest kept heaving just to keep up with the frantic beating of her heart. Her mind felt heavy and foggy, and Sakura all but collapsed against the blonde woman next to her. Carefully Ino stood and helped Sakura lie down on the cushions. When she was settled, Ino sat on the edge of the couch and ran her hand over Sakura's hair. "Just sleep right now, Sakura," she murmured. "You can figure out what you're going to do later."

Sakura nodded slightly as she closed her eyes in exhaustion. "I missed you, Ino," she said quietly.

The blonde smiled slightly. "Yeah, me too."

Then the door opened. Sakura vaguely heard Ino murmur a farewell to her before she stood up from the couch and crossed the room.

"How is she?" she heard Itachi murmur.

Ino cleared her throat lightly. "She's…resting. I'm going to take her home after I get off work."

"That's not necessary," Itachi quickly told her. "I can do it."

"No," Ino said firmly. "I'm going to take her home."

The room fell silent after that and Sakura guessed something had finally been agreed between them when she heard Ino's distinct footsteps across the carpeted floor before the office door closed. A moment later she heard someone approach the couch before the edge where Ino had been sitting dipped slightly again. She heard Itachi sigh quietly as he brushed her bangs out of her face. Sakura sniffed quietly before a cough started in her chest and escaped out of her mouth. It racked her entire body and made her sore throat burn even worse than it already did before she fell still again.

"Go to sleep," Itachi murmured. "Ino will come get you before she leaves for the evening."

Sakura only gave him the barest hint of a nod before she relaxed against the cushions and tried to fall asleep, willing herself not to start crying again in front of him. She felt the back of his fingers brush over her cheek and wipe her tears away, and the urge to cry fell over her again twice as powerful as before.

A shaky breath escaped through her mouth as she felt his hands brush over her hair and her back – anything to help calm her down – and before she knew it a quiet sob escaped her as the floodgates opened and she was crying again.

She didn't want Itachi to see her like this. She had purposely been keeping a tight rope on her emotions so he couldn't see how badly she was hurting, but right now, she couldn't hold it back. Their relationship was falling apart, Kiba wouldn't leave her alone, the case was barely moving forward, and to top it off, she was sick. Everything just sucked. And the only comfort at the moment was the fact Itachi kept his mouth shut. He didn't say anything as his hand smoothed over her hair and ran across her back soothingly. Unconsciously her shoulders relaxed and her mind began to drift off in exhaustion. The last thing she felt was his soothing presence and the smooth glide of his fingers through her hair as her mind finally numbed and she felt into a dreamless sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven  
The Test

 _A long, uneven breath escaped between Sakura's lips before she sucked in a shallow breath of air again and held it. Her apartment was silent, but somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she wasn't alone. Her floorboards were creaking softly like they did every night, but tonight it didn't sound right; it sounded different._

 _As quietly as possible, Sakura unlocked the safety on her gun and waited. She could hear the soft, nearly inaudible sound coming closer and it made her heart pound painfully against her ribcage like it was trying to break out. But she didn't move a muscle. She remained where she was with her back against the wall and her eyes trained on the knob on her bedroom door as she waited for any sign of movement. She had learned her lesson with Neji not to go after whoever it was; they would eventually come to her._

 _And they did._

 _The door slowly pushed open as a dark figure entered her bedroom. Her finger tightened around the trigger, but just before she fired, she looked into their face. A sharp scream threatened to escape her throat when she saw it was the face of the Camera Killer's last victim, the girl they had found in the woods._

 _Terrified, Sakura felt her knees go weak and a moment later they gave out on her completely. She slipped to the floor as tears fell out of her eyes. "I'm sorry," she cried. "I'm so so sorry."_

 _The little girl advanced towards her._

* * *

A muffled thump woke Sakura from her sleep. She was drenched in sweat – some of which was only partially the fault of her fever – and her heart was pounding in her chest as hard as it had been in her dream. Immediately, she reached over and grabbed her gun from her nightstand just as the door to her bedroom door opened. Quickly she cocked it with slightly shaky hands and aimed it at the door as someone quietly walked in.

"Whoa, Sakura, it's just me," Sasuke said. When he saw her gun, he stopped abruptly and held up his hands in surrender, his eyes wide and his expression worried.

The moment Sakura saw it was him she relaxed and lowered her weapon immediately. She clicked the safety back into place and heavily set her gun back down onto her nightstand. Tiredly, she rubbed her eyes and pushed her sweat-slick hair away from her face.

When she turned back to Sasuke she saw there was a deep frown on his face. "You're still having the nightmare about Neji, aren't you?"

For a moment, Sakura looked down. Her nightmares had changed from Neji to this new killer, but she didn't want to tell Sasuke. If she did, he would find out about the note and she definitely didn't want that. Instead, she nodded. "Yes," she said quietly.

Silence filled the room as Sasuke slowly approached her bed and sat down next to her as he placed a comforting hand on her knee. "He's locked up, on death row, Sakura. He's not going to hurt you again," he said softly.

Sakura was quiet for a moment before she shook her head slowly. "That doesn't change the fact that he still came after me," she murmured.

"I know," Sasuke replied. His hand left her leg as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders to draw her into him. "But you're safe now. No one is ever going to touch you again."

For whatever reason, his words made tears flood her eyes. Silently, she pinched her eyes shut to hopefully hold them back, but they leaked out anyway. With a small sniff, she turned further into Sasuke's hold and buried her face into his shoulder as she cried.

She wasn't entirely sure why she was crying. She didn't know if it was because his words showed how much he really cared for her as a friend or because he was being nice to her while she rudely lied to his face. Though, to be honest, in the back of her mind, she knew it was a combination as well as another reason: she didn't want Sasuke here holding her; she wanted Itachi. And the fact that he wasn't there only made it worse as her silent tears were soon accompanied by quiet sobs.

Fortunately Sasuke didn't say anything as he held her. He just wrapped his arms around her in display of comfort he rarely showed to her and let her cry. Eventually though, Sakura forced herself to stop. Carefully she pulled away from him and wiped her eyes before she smiled weakly at him and murmured a quiet thank you.

He merely nodded slightly before he stood from her bed. "How are you feeling?"

Sakura sighed. "Tired." Then she looked down at herself. "And gross. I need to shower," she said as she slowly stood from the bed to collect her things.

Sasuke looked her over once and gave her an amused look of agreement. Sakura smiled light-heartily in return before she continued grabbing her change of clothes. A small silence passed between them before Sasuke cleared his throat lightly. "I just came to see how you were doing."

Slowly she stopped from where she had been about to pick up her towel off the floor of her closet and turned to look at him. "Ino just saw me yesterday, Sasuke. I'm okay. You guys don't need to keep tabs on me," she said not unkindly.

He sighed softly. "I know. We are just worried about you."

Sakura froze. She hadn't told him about her pregnancy in fear he would accidentally let it slip to Itachi. But had Ino accidentally told him?

Nearly rooted to the floor, she looked him over carefully. His expression was troubled but from the way his eyes weren't shifting to her stomach at all or even gave any hint at all that he knew, she guessed he didn't – fortunately. Smiling somewhat stiffly, Sakura picked up her towel and straightened from her slightly bent over form before she turned to look at him again. "I'm fine, Sasuke," she repeated. "How about this? If I need you, I will call you."

He watched her for a long moment before he eventually nodded. "Alright."

Upon his agreement, Sakura's smile widened. She walked out of her bedroom and stopped in the hall as Sasuke walked past her and made his way towards her front door. Once he reached the door, he glanced back at her. "Make sure you call though," he said seriously.

She smiled and nodded before she watched him leave. Once the door was shut, she headed across the hall to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Sighing softly, Sakura placed her towel and clothes on the counter and looked in the mirror. It wasn't long before she glanced away again. She looked terrible.

Instead, Sakura turned her attention to one of the drawers next to the sink. Quietly she slid the drawer open carefully to avoid hitting her bruised knuckles and pulled out the small stick that claimed her to be pregnant. With a heavy feeling settling in her chest, she sat down on the edge of the bath tub and looked at it miserably. What was she going to do?

There were many things she knew she should do – one of them being telling Itachi – but she knew she didn't have the courage to do that yet. They were still barely talking. Nearly five days ago when Sakura had slept in his office had been the last time they had really communicated. When Ino had come to get her, he had helped her stand and collect her things before Ino took over. Since then, she hadn't seen him.

It felt strange. It was the first time since the beginning of their personal relationship nearly two and a half years ago that she had gone that long without seeing him. Of course, she remembered nearly a year ago when he was supposed to have gone to a conference in Southern Japan for about a week, he had ended up coming back nearly three days early. He hadn't said anything when he woke her up at three in the morning; he just kissed her. She wished he would come and kiss her now and make everything right again. But she knew that wasn't going to happen. It wasn't just his fault. She had an equal share in it.

Sighing softly, Sakura threw the pregnancy test back into the drawer and closed it quietly. Slowly she peeled off all her sweaty clothes and stepped into the shower for a long bath.

* * *

Nearly three days later, Sakura was back on her feet and in that time, she had seen Itachi a grand total of one time. He had been worried about her the day after she had fallen asleep in his office but hadn't been able to go and see her until the day after she gone sent Sasuke away. He hadn't stayed very long; just long enough to make her a light lunch and tell her their progress on the case before he left again. She didn't know what he was up to – she assumed he was working overtime every night – and she was torn between feeling disappointed he hadn't come to check up on her again, worried that he was pushing himself too hard like always and grateful that he hadn't seen her as she cried herself to sleep almost every night.

The entire week had been a blur for her. Three quarters of the time she had slept and the rest of it she had spent crying as she worried over how she was going to handle her pregnancy. Ino had stayed with her some nights and Sasuke hadn't dropped by again after she told him she would call, but she had been relieved she had been alone most of the time.

Ino was the only one who knew of her pregnancy – and possibly Shikamaru; her blonde friend could never keep her mouth shut – and she wanted to keep it that way for the time being. The last thing she needed was for Sasuke to accidentally let it slip to Itachi that she was with his child; he had already let too much slip to Itachi as it was. Sakura could imagine the disaster it would cause their relationship – if they still even had one that was – and the distraction it would cause to the case. No, she didn't need that, which is why she decided a few days ago that she would figure out how she was going to deal with her pregnancy after the case and after she figured out what was going on between her and Itachi. At least that was her plan unless she began to show early, but that was weeks away, if not months.

Fortunately for her, this morning was the first day that she had woken up and felt well enough to return to work. She had clocked in early and went straight to her lab and ended up locking herself in her lab for the first hour of her return. In that time, she secretly ran another pregnancy test under an untitled name and hid it in the very depths of her hard drive where no one – namely Karin – would bother to look to either confirm or deny what her home-pregnancy test had told her. Afterwards, she had hurried upstairs and retrieved everyone's reports from Sasuke before she settled at her main examining table and turned her complete attention to the case. The only problem was she felt restless and edgy from being stuck in bed for nearly a week and it made her feel only more agitated when she realized their deadline for the next child was in two days. After that, they would have to hunt down another body and Sakura had no desire to do so; she had already wasted an entire week.

With a frustrated sigh, Sakura snapped the file she had been reading closed and moved onto the next one hurriedly. So far, everyone working on the case had either found no leads or the ones they thought they had ended up being dead ends. According to Shizune's report, the young girl they had found in the woods had also been killed by someone with medical experience, most likely the same person that had sent Sakura the unlabeled heart.

In Shikamaru's report, she learned he had done a background check on all delivery personnel who had medical experience. Yakushi Kabuto's name was among them, but he had only been in medical school for a year and a half before he dropped out. Though during his search, Shikamaru had run across another person that caught their attention. His name was Sekka. He had lived on the West coast of the main island for most of his life before he moved to the East when he was kicked out of the medical practice. According to his background, his medical license was pulled when he had let a teenage boy die. His excuse was the injuries had been too extensive, but after a coroner's autopsy, it was revealed that there was very little damage and the boy could have easily been saved. He then explained that the boy's mother was his ex-girlfriend from years ago and the only way she could have had a child of that age was if she cheated.

He now lived five miles out of Tokyo and delivered mail to small businesses on the city's edge, but according to his cell phone history, he kept in contact with the resident he had been mentor to. His name was Ryokan and he was currently working at the hospital Sekka used to. Unfortunately the police department had been tapping in on their conversations for a week and they had yet to say anything incriminating. Nonetheless, they had taken Sekka in for questioning, but he didn't seem to even know the murders were going on even though it had been all over the news so they had been forced to let him go. It was like all the others: a dead end.

With another sigh, Sakura closed Shikamaru's file and opened Kakashi's report when someone walked into her lab. She looked up and smiled weakly as Kabuto walked in with a small package the size of a small shoe box and a handful of envelopes. "You can set them down on the counter," she said.

He did as instructed and threw her a small smile. "I heard you were sick," he said.

Sakura nodded slightly. "Yeah, I was," she murmured slightly.

He seemed to look her over once as a small frown fell across his face. "Are you feeling better?"

Again, Sakura nodded. "Yes, thank you." She was surprised when she saw real concern in his gaze and she smiled when she realized he was actually concerned about her health. _At least some people cared enough to look_ , she thought offhandedly as Itachi came to mind. But she quickly shook that thought away. "How are you?"

Kabuto shrugged slightly, his glasses flashing in the overhead lighting. "I'm fine. Been busy with things and my sister."

Sakura's eyes lit up. Now that she mentioned it, she remembered how he had told her months ago that his sister was pregnant, and even though the thought of a pregnancy only made her guilt eat away at her, she pushed her feelings down. "Oh yes, how is she?" she asked.

A small smile crossed his face. "She's loves her little boy, but she's also exhausted from staying up all night."

Surprise flashed across her face. "She gave birth already?"

He nodded. "Yeah, about a month ago."

"Oh," Sakura asked. "Well congratulations on becoming an uncle."

Kabuto nodded. "Thanks." Then he looked at the clock. "Well I should be going."

Sakura nodded. "Of course. Have a good day."

He murmured a farewell to her in return and gave her one last smile before he left her lab. Once he was gone, she turned back to Kakashi's file only to sigh and close it again. She closed her eyes and rubbed them briefly as she decided to take a break. The legs of her chair scraped quietly across the floor as she pushed her chair back. Silently, she walked over to the counter where Kabuto had placed her mail and began sorting through it. Her eyebrow rose in surprise when she saw that she had another job offer – this time from the Fukuoka police department, located on the southern end of Japan – but she barely glanced at it before she flipped to the next piece of mail.

Sakura had almost looked through half of the envelopes when the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway again. She looked up just as Kiba entered the room and she felt her mood suddenly drop. When an impatient glare directed at him, she picked up the package she had yet to open and walked to her locked filing cabinet to place it inside. "What do you want?"

His expression turned to one of mock hurt. "Can't I just say hi?"

Honestly, Sakura had grown old of his games the first day he had shown up at the department so she just stared at him blankly in return. "What do you want?" she repeated.

His mocking expression slowly vanished as he looked around her lab purposefully. "Actually I was looking for Temari."

Sakura crossed her arms, gently resting her hand on her opposite arm so she didn't jar her bruised knuckles. "Well she's not here."

The look Kiba sent her didn't even faze her and she continued to look at him blankly as he walked passed her and further into her lab. "Yes, I can see that, Sakura."

A small glare crossed her face. "I told you not to call me that. Now get out. I said Temari's not here."

Kiba stopped near the back wall of the lab before he turned around and looked at her thoughtfully. "You know, we used to get along so well in the past," he said as he slowly approached her. The small smile she had once fell in love with crossed his face. "We were the perfect couple, you know."

A dark expression fell across Sakura's face and she shook her head slightly. "No, we weren't," she said evenly. "We were far from perfect."

Kiba shook his head slightly and approached her. Sakura didn't back down. "We were so in love," he said as he raised a hand to her face.

Automatically her body stiffened and she held her breath. It was the first time he had touched her so gently in years…and it made her skin _crawl_. Involuntarily, her face wanted to twist into an expression of disgust, but she forcefully kept her expression blank and she still didn't back down even as his hand ran down her cheek to cup the side of her face.

"I still love you," he said quietly.

Sakura's gaze didn't waver from his. She could hear the honesty in his voice but somehow she knew his words weren't true. He had always lied to her. And now she understood why she believed him. He was so good at keeping his real thoughts from her.

Smiling coldly, Sakura shook her head. "No, you don't. And I don't think you ever really did," she said quietly, unaffectedly. "I was in love. You pretended to be."

Immediately Kiba's hand fell from her face. His expression remained blank but Sakura could see the way his eyes hardened and she knew that she was right. For a moment, it looked like he was going to speak again, but before he could open his mouth Ino walked into the room. She stopped abruptly when she saw them together but her expression remained calm as she looked at Sakura. "What's going on?" she asked.

Kiba stared at Sakura for a moment longer with the same expression as he turned to Ino. "I was looking for Temari-san. Have you seen her?"

Ino looked at him darkly, obviously not believing him. "She's upstairs in a meeting with Chief Superintendent Sasuke."

"Thanks," Kiba said. He threw Sakura one more look before he turned and left the lab.

Once he was gone, Ino turned to her with a worried look. "Are you alright?"

Sakura smiled weakly before she returned to the examining table, where she had been looking through everyone's reports. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Ino opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but she closed it a moment later and approached the table. "Temari asked me if you could edit her report tonight. She says she's going out somewhere with Gaara and Kankuro but she wanted to get it done early."

Confused, Sakura looked at Ino to see she had a file in hand. As far as she knew, Ino and Temari didn't get along so as to why Temari asked her to bring the file to her, she didn't know. Though, strangely, Sakura did sense something different about Ino since she told her blonde friend about her pregnancy. She seemed to be more patient with her and much more supportive than before.

"Uh, yeah, I can do it," Sakura finally answered as she turned back to Kakashi's report.

Ino placed the file at the edge of the table only for Sakura to pick it up a moment later and place in on a small pile of other files she needed to look over. She returned to Kakashi's report a moment later only to drag her eyes away from the papers when she realized Ino was staring at her. "What?" she asked.

Her blonde friend pursed her lips together for a moment. "Do you want to come over for dinner tonight, sweetie? You were by yourself almost all last week. You could do with some company."

Sakura smiled lightly at her but she shook her head. "No thanks," she replied. "I think after going through all this paperwork I'm going to be too tired to go anywhere but home. Maybe next time?" she offered with a small smile.

"Oh," Ino said, slightly taken aback. "Yeah, sure," she smiled half-honestly. Then she looked at Sakura seriously. "My door is always open. You come any time you want, okay?"

The small smile on Sakura's face widened and she nodded as grateful tears threatened to fill her eyes. Ino just smiled knowingly at her before she left her lab just as quietly as she had come. Sakura didn't know what she did to deserve Ino, but she was glad she had someone so amazing to count on. Her life had been hell for the past couple of months and Ino was the only person making it easier on her. She honestly didn't know what she would do without her best friend.

With the smile still on her face, Sakura eventually took her eyes away from the doorway and returned to her work. Surprisingly a couple of undisturbed hours passed before Sakura was interrupted again. She had been standing in front of her computer looking over the tests Karin had done when something behind her flickered on her screen. She turned around and jumped slightly at Itachi's sudden appearance. She breathed out quickly before she placed a hand over her racing heart. "Itachi," she greeted somewhat breathlessly. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly as the surprise wore off only to be replaced by nervous butterflies – and not the good kind.

"Sakura," he said as he stepped further into her lab.

She swallowed thickly and smiled somewhat forcefully as she began to fidget with her fingers. "Did you need something?" she asked. She didn't mean for it to sound rude, but her nervousness made it come out snappishly and she forced her smile to widen to soften her tone.

Something she didn't recognize flickered across his face and when she realized she was twisting her fingers together, she stopped abruptly and flexed them before she dropped them to her sides. Itachi just watched her silently as he shook his head. "No. I came to see how you were doing."

A hard, unpleasant feeling settled in her stomach and her nervousness vanished to be replaced with the sad, loneliness she had been feeling all week, but she forced it not to show on her face as she smiled weakly. "I'm fine," she said. "Just a bit tired, I suppose."

He nodded slightly as silence settled between them and she had to bite her nails into the palms of her hands to keep herself from fidgeting. She looked away for a moment before she snuck a glance at him and a frown settled on her features when she realized how tired he looked. She didn't know if it was the case or something else that was bothering him but the dark circles under his eyes told her he hadn't been sleeping much better than she had the past week and it made her worry.

Though, before she could ask if he was alright, he sighed quietly. "I apologize I was unable to see you while you were ill."

She stared at him. The only times Itachi ever spoke to her that properly was when he was angry at her or when he found a situation awkward and didn't want to be there. A deep sadness fell over her as she realized she didn't know if he had come to see her because he wanted to or because he felt obligated as her boyfriend…or boss or whatever the hell he was now. Sakura crossed her arms loosely and blinked hard as the feeling to cry came over her. She could feel her nose begin to tingle and her eyes start to prickle, but she forcefully took a deep breath and made herself relax as she answered him. "Don't worry about it. It's not that important," she lied as she covered up her hurt with a smile.

Itachi looked at her like he didn't believe her, but he didn't argue as he glanced at the clock. "I was about to head out to get some coffee. Would you like to join me?"

Sakura bit her bottom lip and looked at her work table to find it was covered in papers and reports she needed to finish. She chewed on her lip harder and a strong sense of relief washed over her when she realized she was too busy to go with him. And abruptly following that was guilt. She shouldn't be happy she was too busy to be alone with him. She should be sad and apologetic, but as much as she repeated that in her head, she wasn't. She knew he meant for them to go get coffee and talk, but honestly she didn't want to be alone with him right now. He had hurt her so much already and she wasn't ready to forgiven him yet. Or herself for hurting him.

A troubled sigh escaped Sakura quietly as she turned back to him with a divided expression. "I can't," she finally said. "I have work to get caught up on."

For a moment, she thought she saw a saddened expression cross his face but it was gone so quickly she couldn't be sure if it was really there or not. Then he nodded. "Of course," he said evenly. "I will leave you to it."

And before Sakura could say anything else, he turned around and walked out, leaving her with a sinking feeling. Her heart felt like it was about to tear apart and her nose was stinging like it always did before she cried but she forcefully brushed it off and made herself focus on her work until she was ready to go home. When the clock finally reached six, she quickly packed up her work and put it away before she headed home for the night. She had only just gotten into her car and pulled out onto the main road when the tears finally came. She swallowed thickly but didn't try to stop them; she didn't think she could even if she tried.

The next morning felt like every other morning when she woke up after having cried herself to sleep. Her head ached and her eyes felt swollen, and even after showering and eating breakfast she felt like she could still sleep for another couple of hours. Her head was still aching as she filled a traveling mug with tea before she left for the day with her phone in her pocket and her keys and tea in hand.

It took her longer than usual to get to work that morning, though if she was being honest, she wasn't really that ready to go to work today. She was tired, absolutely exhausted, and the tea in her hand was doing nothing to help wake her up, but it was something to curb the craving she had for coffee so she drank it anyway.

A quiet sigh escaped Sakura's lips as she reached the top floor of the department. She started towards Ino's desk but as she raised her traveling mug to her lips, she frowned when she found she had already drained it. Her frown didn't leave her lips as she turned and headed towards the break room to refill her mug. With her cup in hand, Sakura opened the door and walked into the small, well-lit room only to stop abruptly when she saw Itachi was refilling his own mug with coffee. Half a second passed as she considered leaving and coming back later but she decided against it. She badly needed the slight caffeine boost tea gave her and this was Itachi. She may not be in the mood to be around him for long, but she wasn't going to purposefully avoid him. She wasn't that childish.

Silently, Sakura took a deep breath and walked up to the counter. Itachi glanced at her upon her approach and he momentarily faltered before he finished filling his cup with coffee. Then he set the pot back on the burner with the handle pointing towards her before he reached for the creamer. With a small frown, Sakura looked away from the coffeepot to resist the temptation as she tried to pull the lid off her mug. She cursed under her breath and pulled her hand away from the cup when her bruised hand jolted pain through her hand. She flexed her fingers and glared at the cup just as Itachi reached over and easily pulled the lid off for her. He pulled his hands back without a word and she glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes as she murmured a quiet thank you.

He didn't say anything to show he had heard her, but after a moment he cleared his throat. "I am going to be gone most of the day. If you find anything important about the case inform Sasuke or Shisui."

Slowly Sakura poured her mug full of water before she put the kettle back on the burner. "Okay," she said as she casted him a glance out of the corner of her eyes. Then she turned to the back of the counter and grabbed the sugar. Quietly, she tore open three packets of sugar and dumped them into her tea before she stirred her highly-sugared drink.

"I am meeting with Kisame soon," he said quietly.

Sakura nearly dropped her spoon at his comment, but her fingers tightened around it before it completely slipped out of her hand as she stared at him in surprise. In their two-year personal relationship and five-year professional relationship, she had never once heard Itachi openly offer information without first being asked. The sudden change made her look at him strangely and it took her a moment to figure out what to say. "Oh," she said lamely.

"I want to get another set of eyes on the case," he continued. "Kisame already knows the basic details so I believe he may be able to help."

Sakura nodded slightly as she finished stirring the sugar into her tea before she clamped the lid back on. "Maybe," she replied evenly before she took a small sip. "Tell him I say hi," she murmured as she lowered the mug from her lips. Then she started towards the door with every intention of working through her headache.

"Sakura," Itachi called quietly just as her hand touched the door handle. She stopped and glanced back at him to see he was staring at her with an expression she didn't recognize on his face. "I know you are angry, but when this case is over, we are going to talk."

A hard lump formed in her throat and she felt her anger rise again. She knew her feelings were misplaced, but she couldn't stop the frustration she felt towards him at the idea that he was putting the case before their relationship. She understood – she really did – but she had been on a short fuse for months and being filed in priority like that made her feel so unimportant.

But along with the anger came guilt. Her hand itched to wrap protectively around her middle, but she refrained. That was a secret she had to keep from him for now – because she was on the backburner. The moment he found out she was pregnant, his entire attention would turn away from the case and as frustrated as she was, she wasn't so blinded by anger that she would purposefully cause a distraction from his work.

Fortunately her guilt was short lived as the door handle jerked out of her hand and the door opened. Both Sakura and Itachi turned as Kakashi walked in. He stopped when he felt the tension in the air. "Am I interrupting?" he asked as his bi-colored eyes looked first at Sakura then Itachi.

Sakura held his gaze for a moment before she shook her head. "I was just leaving," she said with forced casualness before she squeezed past Kakashi and walked out without a backwards glance at Itachi.

* * *

It had been a long day for Itachi. He could clearly remember every bad moment of his conversation with Sakura in the break room. He could feel the anger still coming off of her in waves and he was beginning to wonder what exactly was going through her head. He used to be so good at knowing what she was thinking, but now that she was surrounded by this cloud of anger all the time, he could barely get through to her.

His mind was still reeling from the look on her face when he had told her they were going to talk after the case. She had just stared at him like she would rather do anything else and it made his chest constrict painfully. In all honesty though, he should have expected it. Somewhat unconsciously, he had been pushing her away and keeping her at arm's length. Hell, he had only gone to see her once while she was sick and he had all but ignored her the rest of the time they were at work together. He just didn't know what to do anymore. He wanted to try to work out their relationship, but he didn't know where to start. He had been pushing her away for so long that every time she saw him, she was absolutely furious.

"Something is bothering you."

Slowly Itachi picked his head up and looked across the table to see Kisame was staring at him expectantly. They were sitting in a coffee shop some miles away from the police department. After Kisame's long drive from his hometown city, he had suggested they get coffee before they get started.

Itachi just shook his head. "Another child is going to be murdered tomorrow and we don't have any leads."

Kisame raised an eyebrow. "I meant something personal." Silently, Itachi shook his head again, causing Kisame to frown. "It's Sakura, isn't it?" he said seriously. "You haven't said anything about her."

A small, matching frown pulled Itachi's lips down as he rested back against his chair and looked down unseeingly at the file in front of him. "There's nothing to say about her."

He felt Kisame's gaze, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the file as his mind drifted over the past month or so to everything that had happened between him and Sakura. Every time, he thought back though there was always one moment in time that seemed to mark the beginning of their dispute: the night he accused her of cheating on him.

"What happened?" Kisame asked quietly.

To be honest, Kisame seemed to be the only person who knew how deep his attachment to Sakura really was. Sasuke and Shisui knew that he deeply cared for her, but he didn't think they understood as much as Kisame did. So Itachi told him; everything. He was never one to talk about personal things, but Kisame was the one person he knew he could count on and so he told him from the moment he accused Sakura of having an affair with her ex-fiancé to the moment earlier when she had all but glared at him in the break room.

When he finished, there was a look of surprise on his face like he couldn't believe what he had just heard. "Your Haruno Sakura used to be domestically abused?" he asked in disbelief. "No wonder she's so defensive."

Itachi shook his head slowly. "She's not mine anymore. At least she does not want to be."

The expression on Kisame's face quickly faded to something more serious and disturbed as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. "I don't believe that. I think that working with her ex-fiancé and having to interact with him on an almost daily basis is what has made her so angry lately," he replied smoothly. "I think that once this case is over, the two of you will be able to work things out. Think about it, Itachi. You two have the healthiest relationship I have ever seen. In the two years you two have been together, you've never gotten into a serious fight. It was bound to be huge when it finally happened."

Slowly Itachi glanced up at the older man and looked him over once. There was honesty in his eyes, as well as a small glint of amusement that made Itachi realize that his friend was saying exactly what he thought was the truth. The only problem was Kisame hadn't been there when Sakura had given him that look. He had seen the anger in her eyes and felt pain coming off of her in waves so thick it was nearly suffocating. She was honestly hurt and from the look that had been on her face, probably more than he could repair. He only hoped that when this case was over and they did finally talk, she would still have that kindness in her heart that he loved. Because she was far more important to him than anyone knew and he had no desire of letting her go.

But the unnerving part was he didn't know if she had already let go of him.

She was an entirely different type of woman. She didn't need someone to take care of her and she probably didn't want anyone to. He didn't want her to leave him like she had left Kiba. It surprised him to realize that he _wanted_ her to need him. He didn't want her to run away like she had after her last relationship, but he knew that if he didn't fix things quickly that was exactly what she was going to do.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight  
The Suspension

For the most part, Sakura had been left alone the entire day to work, which she had been thankful for. After her small encounter with Itachi earlier that morning all she wanted to do was be left alone. She was tired of worrying about her pregnancy and being angry at Itachi and Kiba, and so when no one had come to see her, she had been grateful and relieved when she was able to finish the files that she hadn't gotten to the night before.

She was just about done when her computer beeped, signaling that the results of a test were ready. Confused, Sakura just stared at her black monitor. She hadn't been running any tests and as far as she knew, Karin was taking a personal day and Temari had been upstairs with Gaara all day. Nonetheless, she stood up and walked over to her computer, taking a seat on the rolling chair in front of it. Quietly, she turned the monitor on before she clicked on the test results. Surprisingly a security screen popped up, asking for her password.

For a second Sakura hesitated. No one ever put security locks on an analysis, not even Karin, but she typed in her password and watched in surprise as the security screen fell away and allowed her to access the test results. Her eyes narrowed in confusion. She had never locked a test before. Then her eyes widened in realization. She had yesterday morning when she had retested her pregnancy test. Quickly Sakura striped away the rest of the privacy codes and pulled up the test to find one word was blinked across the screen.

 _Negative._

Silently, she just stared at the red, capitalized word until it began to blur as tears gathered in her eyes and fell down her cheeks. She just sat there not knowing how to react. The one word on her screen felt so anti-climatic. When her pregnancy test shown it was positive, there had been so many things running through her head she could barely keep up, but now she was so confused she didn't even know how to react.

 _That was it?_ She thought. She really had been sick.

And just like that, she felt something cold begin growing in her chest. The idea that she had been pregnant had terrified her enough to lose sleep at night, but now that she knew she wasn't, she was filled with a feeling she almost didn't recognize: loss.

"Sakura?" someone called softly.

Slowly she blinked and wiped her eyes with the palm of her hand before she turned in the chair. Ino was standing a few steps behind her with a confused expression on her face, but when she saw the moisture on her face, her expression turned worried. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

Sakura shook her head slowly. "I'm not pregnant," she whispered in almost confusion.

Ino looked taken aback before her eyes flickered to the monitor for a second. "Are you sure?"

She nodded numbly. "There's not enough progesterone in my system."

A conflicted expression settled on Ino's features as she placed a comforting arm around Sakura's shoulders and pulled her against her. "Well I guess that's best for the time being," she said sadly.

Sakura looked at her out of the corner of her eyes. "You're disappointed."

Her blonde friend just shrugged slightly. "I just always wanted our children to grow up together," she replied quietly.

Immediately Sakura pulled out of her arms and looked at her sharply. "You're pregnant?"

Ino fought to keep the smile off her face but eventually she lost the battle and she grinned. "With everything going on between you and Itachi, and you and Kiba I thought it was best not to tell you right now. I didn't want you to think that I only thinking about myself. But yes, I am," she finished softly.

Even against the sharp pain in her chest, Sakura smiled sincerely. She could see the conflict in Ino's eyes as if she regretted telling her, but at the same time there was relief; like she was glad the weight was finally off her chest. "How long have you known?" Sakura asked.

"About three weeks," she said slowly.

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. That was about the time the case started. No wonder Ino had been acting so strangely towards her. She had been spending so much time with Temari that it must've felt like she was pushing Ino away.

Smiling, Sakura stood from her chair and embraced her best friend before she pulled back and stared at her, her grin still in place. "Does Shikamaru know?"

Ino raised a hand and wiped away the tears that had spilled out of her eyes. "No. I was going to tell him, but he's been so busy with this case that I can't seem to find the time. And besides, you know how he'd react."

The smile on Sakura's face slowly turned into a frown. She didn't agree with Ino's decision, but she wouldn't say anything against it. Shikamaru was always laid back, but if he found out that Ino was carrying his child while working as much as she was on their current case, he would have her yanked off before she could even voice her opinion. As wrong as it was, both women knew that keeping their pregnancy – both Ino's real one and Sakura's false positive – a secret for now was the best course of action.

Smiling softly, Sakura hugged Ino again as everything that had happened in the past week crashed down on her. Ino just wrapped her arms around the shorter woman and held her tightly as understanding passed between them.

After all, it had been Ino who kept her from plummeting into despair when everything had been falling apart. Ino had been the one to stay with her when she had cried herself to sleep every night, wondering if she should tell Itachi she was with his child. Ino had been the one who reassured her she would help with whatever decision Sakura made, whether she was going to keep the child or not. Ino had literally been her life support. Without her, Sakura would have given up on everything and everyone.

"Thanks, Ino," Sakura murmured quietly.

They pulled back from one another and wiped their eyes until their tears were gone as they laughed quietly. Still smiling, Sakura turned around and deleted the test results on her computer before she gave Ino her full attention. "Now then," she said still smiling, "why did you come down here?"

Ino nodded towards the clock. "I don't know if you checked your email but Shisui sent out a message saying he wanted a meeting with every investigator on the case at four. I figured that we have enough time to go get some lunch. What do you say?"

It seemed as if Ino's smile was infectious because a moment later, Sakura was smiling brighter than she had in a long time. "Okay," she agreed. "Where do you want to go?"

The blonde woman shrugged as Sakura turned her computer monitor off and closed her files. "I was thinking the usual café unless you want to go somewhere more private."

Sakura shook her head as the two women made their way out into the hall to the elevator. "The usual is fine," she replied.

The two women waited silently for the elevator doors to open before they stepped inside. Ino hit the button for the lobby and they stood in a comfortable silence as they rode up to the ground floor. When the doors opened again, they stepped out and started towards the front doors of the building.

"So why is Shisui calling a meeting?" Sakura asked as they walked outside.

Ino threw a glance at her and shoved her hands into her pockets against the slight cold as they started across the parking lot. "I'm not sure. I think it's to go over the case. Our deadline is tomorrow after all…" she ended quietly. Then she cleared her throat. "Though, I'm curious as to why Itachi didn't send out the email."

Sakura shrugged slightly as they reached the sidewalk and started down the street. "He's not here today," she replied. "He left earlier to meet with his friend, Kisame." She glanced at Ino. "You know, the really tall SAT that worked with us on the East coast Killer case."

Suddenly the blonde woman grabbed her wrist and jerked her to a stop as she paused in the middle of the sidewalk to look at her expectantly. "How do you know that? Did the two of you talk?"

A frown fell across Sakura's face and she gently pulled her wrist out of Ino's grasp before she continued walking with Ino close behind her. "Not really. I just saw him this morning and we had a short conversation."

A small stab of guilt hit Sakura when Ino's expectant expression fell and turned into something much sadder. "Oh," she murmured. Then her expression forcefully brightened. "What are they talking about?"

Sakura shrugged as they reached the café. She held the door open and let Ino walk in first before she followed her. "They're going over the case. Itachi said he wanted another set of eyes on the case and Kisame is surprisingly intelligent," she said, smiling to herself.

It was somewhat of an inner joke between her and Kisame. Last year sometime, Kisame had come to see Itachi at the department and Sakura had run into him. They had struck up a conversation and she had accidentally made the comment that he was "surprisingly intelligent for his looks." He had said it was because of his dashing good looks. She had said it was because of his dangerous, gangster I'm-going-to-kill-you-now appearance. It was a friendly argument that ended in Kisame punching her lightly in the arm as they walked into Itachi's office. It hadn't even crossed her mind that Itachi was watching them with a weird expression as she cuffed him on the shoulder, causing them to start another argument about how Kisame hit like a girl and Sakura was much too masculine.

That had been a good day.

"Do you think they'll find something we missed?" Ino asked. She glanced sideways at Sakura for a moment before her eyes returned to the menu on the board behind the counter.

A quiet sigh escaped Sakura as she too gazed absentmindedly at the red board. "I hope so. We don't have much time left."

A smiling brunette took their order and made their sandwiches for them as Ino pulled out her wallet and paid for the both of them. Sakura smiled her thanks and took her tray before she led them to a table in the far corner of the open room by the window so they could watch the cars go by. Silently, they both dug into their meal and watched people as they walked by on the sidewalk, lost in both their own thoughts. Eventually Ino cleared her throat and set her sandwich down to take a sip of her water. "So," she said, "now what?"

Sakura looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Are you going to try and fix things between you and Itachi?" she asked carefully.

Slowly Sakura set her own sandwich down and picked up her mug of coffee to hide her sad expression. She cleared her throat quietly and took a sip from her cup as she watched the cars outside drive by. "I'm not sure it can be fixed," Sakura said quietly.

Ino frowned in confusion. "I thought you guys talked this morning?"

Sakura closed her eyes as she remembered what had happened between her and Itachi. She could still clearly remember the anger and guilt that went through her when he even mentioned talking it out. She snorted quietly to herself when she realized she had no reason to feel guilty anymore. There wasn't anything to hide from him now. Besides how were they supposed to have a healthy relationship when she couldn't even tell him that she had suspected that she was with his child?

The answer was they couldn't. She didn't think her relationship with Itachi would ever be the same again. And the scariest question was did she even want a relationship with him anymore? He had already chipped and cracked her heart. The only thing left for him to do was drop it and break it completely. She already knew she couldn't handle that. She had already cried enough this past week. She didn't want to anymore.

"One conversation can't fix a problem this big," she replied quietly.

The frown on Ino's face deepened, but before she could reply a shadow fell across their table. Both women looked up and stared in surprise as Temari stopped next to their table with a cup of coffee in hand. "Hey, Sakura, Ino."

Sakura smiled softly. "Hey, Temari."

Ino smiled slightly but she didn't reply as Temari turned to Sakura. "Do you mind if I join you? I wanted to ask you something." the dark blonde woman asked.

Silently, Sakura glanced at Ino. She could see the small frown on her face and Sakura bit her lip for a moment before she turned back to Temari. "Can it wait? I promised Ino lunch."

Temari blinked. She looked from Sakura to Ino and then back before she nodded slightly. "Oh, of course," she smiled. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I'll see you back at the department then?"

With a small smile, Sakura nodded and watched her old friend leave before she turned back to Ino. The blonde woman wasn't watching her though. She was watching Temari as she walked out of the café and started back down the street in the direction of the department. "She's a good person," Ino finally murmured. "I can see why you guys are friends."

Sakura nodded slowly. "Yeah." She fell quiet for a few more moments before she finally looked up at Ino and forced a smile onto her face. "So how are you going to tell Shikamaru?"

Surprisingly, Ino's cheeks reddened and she looked away as she consciously brushed a blonde hair out of her face. "I was going to wait until the end of the case."

The smile on Sakura's face fell and she shook her head. "No, tell him tonight," she said seriously. "Don't keep this from him. It'll only worry him."

Ino's blush quickly faded and her expression turned sober as she stared back at Sakura critically. "Just like how you worried Itachi."

Purposely, Sakura turned her gaze away from her best friend and stared out the window. The afternoon was overcast and grey – much like her mood – but there were plenty of people still out on the streets, laughing and smiling with each other. It felt so strange to see other people's happiness now that she thought about it. She wasn't being self-centered. It was just that there was so much depression and worry and tension in the department that happiness seemed like such an impossible thing lately. The only thing she had smiled about lately was Ino's pregnancy and even then she could feel her heart breaking with her own loss.

Slowly Sakura closed her eyes and pursed her lips together as a frown forcefully pulled the corners of her lips downward. She could feel tears forming in her eyes as a series of thoughts crossed her mind and she had to pinch her eyelids together to force them back before she could finally open her eyes again and look at her best friend. "He wasn't worried about me. He just wanted me to get over whatever it was that was bothering me so I could focus on the case again. It's what makes him so good at his job," she smiled sadly. "No distractions."

The look on Ino's face told her that she wanted to argue, but she kept her mouth firmly closed for the first time in years as she turned her attention to the water in front of her. Silently, Sakura did the same with her coffee and watched the cars drive by outside until she received a text message from Temari, stating that they were beginning to gather for their meeting. Apparently Ino received the same text because a moment later she too opened her phone and closed it a moment later. Together, they stood up and threw the wrappers from their lunch away before they walked back to the department.

When they finally reached the elevator, Sakura smiled at Ino and exchanged a small hug with her before she took the stairs down to her lab to collect her things. Karin was there when she arrived, but the two women hardly glanced at each other as Sakura picked up the files she needed before she headed back to the elevator and pressed the button to go up.

Most officers were already in the conference room, sitting or standing around as they waited for their superiors. Ino was sitting next to Shikamaru with an unreadable expression on her face and their hands entwined while Naruto chatted animatedly with Kakashi. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there at the moment, but when he caught Sakura's gaze he smiled and nodded slightly before she continued and stood on the far side of the room with her files on a nearby table.

A couple of minutes later, Shisui and Sasuke walked in and began the meeting. Shisui was the first to speak. "As you all know, we are expecting another photograph some time tomorrow," he said with the most serious expression on his face that Sakura had ever seen. "If or when we receive this photo, it will mean that we now have eight dead children on our hands. Has anyone found any leads that may prevent this from happening?" he asked as his gaze landed on each and every person in the room.

A long silence stretched out as every officer glanced at each other, but it was Kakashi that finally broke the thick tension. "Every mailperson with medical background has either been checked out or is on vacation," he said. "Most of those who are missing have been tracked down and are either on the opposite side of the country or not in the country at all."

Sasuke sat forward in his chair. "Most of those?"

Shikamaru nodded. "There are a handful of others who we have been unable to find," he explained as he flipped open his file. "Mori Oyone and Kumadori, Kimura Kusuna, Yakushi Kabuto, and Aiko Kiri have yet to be accounted for," he listed. "All of them dropped out of medical school. We're really focusing on finding Kimara Kusuna after she was kicked out of med school for illegally treating a patient. She has a brother that lives in Tokyo but he too is missing."

Sasuke nodded slowly. "Is there anything else that can help us?"

Kankuro spoke up this time. "I've been looking through the registry of children that have been reported missing in the past week. So far there have been twenty-one boys between the age of eight and eleven and nearly thirty girls around the ages of six and thirteen," he said.

Shisui nodded. "Have you compared those who are missing to the profile the killer has been using?"

"We've cancelled out any boys," Kiba said. He was leaning against the wall opposite to Sakura with his arms crossed and an unreadable expression on his face that made Sakura's skin crawl. His shoulders were slightly tense and the tone of his voice made her flinch at how cold it was. "And so far the killer has only taken girls between the ages of eight and thirteen."

Sasuke's eyes flashed to Shisui before returning to Kiba. "How many does that leave us with?"

"Taking into account their ethnicity and city," Kiba answered, "fifteen."

Sasuke sighed loudly through his nose. "That's not good enough." Then his eyes turned to her. "Sakura, what can you tell us?"

Her eyebrow rose. "I don't have any evidence," she said. "There's nothing I can tell you."

Shisui frowned. "Can you tell us something new you found from previous victims? Maybe similarities in their COD or the location they were found in? Anything?"

A frown fell across her face as she shook her head. "You'd have to ask Shizune about their COD and I didn't notice anything similar about any of them other than their…" she trailed off as something suddenly hit her. "Their location?" she murmured almost to herself.

"What about where they were found or perhaps where they were kidnapped from?" he pressed.

Sakura narrowed her eyes thoughtfully and crossed her arms as she thought back to all the pictures she had looked through nearly a month ago of all the victims. "I'm not completely certain, but I believe all the victims were found in forest areas or areas with a lot of trees," she finally said. "I would have to go back and look at the pictures to confirm it, but I think that they were."

Something lit up in Shisui's eyes and he glanced at Sasuke before returning his gaze to Sakura. "Very well. Do it when you get the chance," he said.

Sakura nodded before she leaned back against the wall and fell back into her own thoughts. She tried to remember all the pictures mentally as Shisui continued on with the meeting. Even the picture with the girl leaning on the door, Sakura could have sworn there were some trees in the window next to it. She just had to wait for the meeting to end before she could double check.

About ten minutes later, Shisui called the meeting to a close, unnecessarily telling everyone to inform both him and Sasuke if they found anything new. Naruto and Kakashi were the first ones out the door, followed closely by Gaara, Kankuro and Temari. The blonde woman was so engrossed in her discussion with her two friends that she didn't even notice Sakura and she shrugged it off that whatever she had to say to her earlier probably wasn't too terribly important.

Sasuke and Shisui passed her as she collected her files and her mind fell back to the pictures as she flipped open the top file and began to read its contents. It didn't reach her busy mind that she was one of the last ones in the conference room until she heard the door click closed and a voice speak: "I've been meaning to talk to you."

Immediately Sakura stopped and quickly picked her head up as she turned around to see Kiba standing a few feet away from her. Sharply, she snapped her file closed with a slight glare and held the small pile to her chest. "You know, it's a really bad time," she said coldly.

A smirk crawled onto his face and he set the file he was holding down onto a nearby table without taking his eyes off of her. "With you, it always seemed to be a bad time. Why is that, Sakura?" he drawled out. "Perhaps it's because you want to save that time to make up with your little boy toy?"

The glare on her face darkened and she felt her skin heat up with her anger. Loudly, she threw the files in her hands down onto the table next to her hip and crossed her arms as she faced him fully. "I'm so fucking tired of you pulling me around and playing games with me," she said evenly with an undertone of venom. "Why don't you tell me is it that you want? When I left, I took everything I owned and left everything that was yours. So tell me why you're here? I know this case wasn't originally yours. It has Yashamaru's name on the files."

Kiba's smirk widened. "You act like you don't remember, Sakura," he said sickeningly sweet. "All the wonderful times we had, all the games we played, all the things we did."

Angrily, Sakura's arms tightened around herself. She opened her mouth to retort with a sharp reply only for the words to get caught in her throat. That was just it; she didn't remember. She didn't remember most of it. She didn't have psychological issues. She should have remembered being in the hospital and being thrown against whatever the hell it was that put her there in the first place.

With wide eyes, Sakura looked at Kiba intensely. "I don't remember any of it," she murmured lightly. Then her voice hardened. "Why don't I remember?"

Kiba just shrugged slightly, uncaringly. "I can be very distracting." His face turned caring in a mocking way. "And I took very good care of you after your little falls."

The look he sent her made the retort she wanted to spit back at him get stuck in her throat. She had seen that look before; a long time ago. And it made images surface in Sakura's mind. Through her mind's eye, she could see the two of them lying naked together in bed. Her memory flashed to him offering her two vicodin pills and a glass of water before his lips pressed into the hollow of her throat. She could vaguely remember herself swallowing the pills and placing the water glass back on the nightstand before her hands slid up to his shoulder. Then the scene fast-forwarded to them coupling as she arched her back and his hands wonder down to her-.

Sharply, Sakura forced the images away only for more to take their place. She could feel Kiba placing light kisses on shoulders as they came down from their high. Then he reached for her water glass again and placed two more pills in her hand as he whispered words she couldn't hear with that mocking caring look on his face. Without hesitating, she took them from him and groaned quietly when his hands touched her again. Once her water glass was empty and back on the night stand his light touches turned more demanding and possessive as everything hazed over.

Abruptly, Sakura blinked them back and stared at Kiba in something akin to horror. "You drugged me," she said in blatant disbelief. She was so shocked her voice was barely that of a whisper. "You got me high and then took advantage of me?"

He just looked at her with an expression she didn't recognize. "Don't look so surprised. You used to get very aroused when you were high." When she just continued to stare at him in horror, he shrugged. "All's fair in love and war."

Sakura shook her head slowly as the scenes played over in her mind. "No, it's not." She swallowed thickly before she clenched her teeth and her shoulders tensed. She was angry – downright pissed off – and the only thing she could think was thank god she hadn't become addicted. Her entire life could have turned upside down because of what he did to her, but the fact that it didn't was the only comfort she had. "You fucking bastard," she hissed. "I will report this."

Surprisingly, Kiba looked indifferent. "Go ahead. There's no proof. You consented to having sex with me and I never forced the pills down your throat. You took them willingly."

Sakura's breath escaped through her nose raggedly as she fought to control herself. She knew he was right and the worst part was he knew it too. She didn't have any proof; just her word against his. Angrily, she ground her teeth together. "What right do you have to come back here?" she hissed.

He shrugged again. "I came to collect my property."

Still angry, Sakura narrowed her eyes in frustrated confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"When you left you actually did take something of mine," he said almost nonchalantly. "You left with my ring on your finger. It was my mother's and I want it back."

For a long moment Sakura stilled as understanding hit her. She stared at him and realized for the first time there was a deep worry set in his eyes as if he was afraid of what it would mean to lose his ring. And the moment she saw his uncertainty a cruel satisfaction filled her. She could clearly remember selling the ring over a week ago.

Normally, selling something so important as a family heirloom would make her feel guilty and downright terrible, and honestly she didn't even know that the ring belonged to his mother, but she was proud to realize she didn't care.

Slowly, a dark smirk twisted her lips into a cold smile. The look of almost desperation on his face made her feel so strong and empowered over him and she embraced the feeling. He had caused her hell for a good couple of years of her life and she could never forgive him. There were just some things that a person should never do and one of them was intentionally causing physical harm to their significant other.

With the smirk still on her face, Sakura crossed her arms and looked him directly in the eyes. "You know, the entire time we were together I was taken advantage of, lied to, beaten and abused to the point of being hospitalized, and cheated on. And now you want back the one thing that ever truly meant something to you." She just shook her head slightly as her cold smile returned. "What in the hell makes you think I'm just going to give it to you?"

A look of surprise flashed across his face before his eyes narrowed to something much more dangerous. "Where is it?" he asked. She could almost hear the sound of his teeth grinding together as he glared at her.

She grinned. "The local Pawn Shop," she said. The smirk on her face never left as she pulled her wallet out from her back pocket before she dug through it to find the receipt the store had given her. It took her a moment, but when she finally pulled it from the side pouch, she walked up to Kiba and shoved it into his hands. "You can look for it, but I'm not sure it'll still be there," she said casually as she placed her wallet back into her pocket. "Things like that sell quickly."

For a long moment, she just watched as he took the receipt and looked it over. His expression steadily grew darker and darker, but she merely smirked at him and looked him over once, wondering what she had ever seen in him. "When you came back, Kiba, you miscalculated. You didn't honestly think I would roll over and play dead after everything you did to me." Her smirk widened as Kiba slowly looked up at her and glared darkly. "I told you before I didn't need Itachi to protect me," she continued. "Whatever you have left planned for me, bring it on. I'm not scared of you."

Then she turned on her heels walked through the door, letting it close behind her loudly.

The sense of satisfaction never left her as she strode out the door and onto the main floor. Officers were busily working and the murmuring of a dozen voices together made the room buzz. It was so loud that she didn't realize someone was following her until a hand landed on her shoulder and forced her to turn around.

"You fucking bitch," Kiba snarled just before his fist connected with her jaw.

The power behind his swing sent her straight down onto the floor. She didn't even have enough time to catch herself before the side of her temple met with the white tiles. Pain exploded behind her eyes and a soft groan escaped her as the entire floor fell silent.

For a long moment, Sakura just laid there, physically stunned at the pain making her head swim, and she could only laugh at herself when she realized she probably deserved his abuse this time. Honestly, if this was how hard he had hit her before she wasn't surprised she never remembered his beatings. His attack was violent and mind-splittingly painful and it took her a moment to blink the spots out of her vision and pick her head up off the ground.

Slowly she pushed herself onto her hands and knees, and paused to reach up and feel the corner of her mouth to check for blood and rub out the pain in her jaw. When the pain slowly started to subside, she felt her anger boil to the surface. "I don't think you hit me hard enough," she said darkly as she slowly turned her gaze up to Kiba. He was still towering over her, absolutely radiating fury, but she just stared back threateningly. "I still remember it."

His expression turned downright murderous and he moved to grab her again at the same moment Kakashi and Genma grasped his arms and jerked him backwards. Kiba fought against them and threw a long stream of colorful names at her, but they held him tightly. Sakura felt the muscles in her body begin to tense in her own rage, but before she could get to her feet and return his assault for her own, a loud yell rang throughout the floor. "You two in my office immediately!"

Instantly she recognized Shisui's voice and she cringed mentally. Shisui was normally a happy, energetic person and he rarely raised his voice to call for order, but when he did, it was usually out of anger, and it made everyone quiet immediately.

Without a word, Sakura slowly pushed herself up even as the pain in her head spiked and the edges of her vision turned black. She felt someone's helpful hand land on her upper arm – she guessed Naruto – as they tried to pull her onto her feet but she shook them off and forced herself to stand. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Kiba firmly shake Genma and Kakashi's hands off him before he stalked across the room and entered Shisui's office. Even from this distance, she could see the deep glare on Shisui's face, but she too ignored it for the time being as she walked into his office before he slammed the door closed behind them.

Sasuke was already inside with a dark glare on his face, but other than that, she couldn't tell what he was thinking. He merely glanced at his older cousin as he stopped in front of his desk and turned to look at both of them. "What the hell is going on?"

Neither of them spoke.

A loud, frustrated sigh escaped through his nose and he crossed his arms as he leaned against his desk. "You two have been going at each others' throats since the beginning of the case. I don't know what happened between you two and honestly I don't care, but I'm tired of it getting in the way of the case." His dark gaze shifted between her and Kiba, and she suddenly realized how much alike Shisui and Itachi could really be when pressed. His expression was just as unreadable as Itachi's seemed to be lately, though she could still see the anger that was raging underneath his calm façade. "I've had enough," Shisui finally said. "Inuzuka, you physically assaulted another officer. Please turn in your badge and gun. You're suspended until further notice."

Surprised, Sakura didn't dare glance at Kiba as silence fell around the room. She had never thought things would go so far and it made her realize in that moment that maybe she had been a little out of control lately. But she didn't let those thoughts go any further as she heard Kiba unclip his badge and gun from his belt before he approached Shisui's desk. He set his things down with a resounding thump before he turned around and brushed past her.

It wasn't until the door closed behind him that Sakura slowly let out the breath she had been holding. She closed her eyes in relief, but it was short lived as the pain in her jaw and head began pounding harder than before. She clenched her teeth together and pinched her eyes shut as she forced herself to take a deep breath. He had hit her harder than she realized.

Then Shisui sighed. "Sometimes I really hate my job," he murmured. He ran a hand over his face and stared at the ceiling for a moment before his eyes slowly turned down to her. "Are you alright?"

She nodded slowly, knowing he was still angry. "I'm fine."

The look he threw her told her he didn't believe her but he didn't say anything as he moved to sit behind his desk. Sasuke had a frown upon his face to match his cousin's but he eventually looked away to grab Kiba's things off Shisui's desk. "I'm going to call the Kanazawa department."

Shisui nodded before Sasuke left the room, silently closing the door behind him. Once he was gone, Sakura continued to stand silently in front of Shisui. She watched as his eyes dropped to the pile of paperwork next to his computer before a tired expression crossed his face. Guilt flooded her and she almost considered excusing herself, but Shisui hadn't dismissed her and she had something she needed to ask of him.

"Shisui," she said quietly, catching his attention. "Please don't tell Itachi about this."

His blank expression didn't change and his long silence made her stomach churn nervously. Eventually he pursed his lips together. "I have to write an incident report," he said evenly. "Whether he reads it or not is up to him."

For a moment Sakura didn't respond, but then she nodded in acceptance before she headed towards the door. She murmured a quiet thank you to him before she walked out and headed towards the elevator ignoring the stares that followed her and the call from Ino for her to wait.

She needed time alone; she needed to think.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine  
The Call

The moment Sakura walked into her lab, she headed into the backroom and looked at the mirror hanging up on the wall. A deep frown fell across her face when she saw there was already a dark bruise beginning to form on her jaw and a nice bump on the side of her temple to go with it. The headache radiating off of it made her head spin and she managed to find a bottle of pain killers in Sasuke's desk before she forced herself to return to her work. She made for the evidence boxes the Kanazawa department brought with them and searched through them until she found the smaller box containing all the pictures the killers had sent them.

For the next couple of hours, Sakura looked over each one carefully, noting all the similarities each one had. She worked nonstop and paused only when she heard the elevator ding quietly. The moment she heard those familiar footsteps outside her lab she knew all hell was about to break loose. Slowly she closed her eyes in resignation as her heart began pounding in her chest. Forcefully, she took a deep breath just as the footsteps stopped inside her lab.

"I heard there was a situation today," Itachi said evenly.

Sakura hesitated in her writing, but she didn't turn around from her place in front of her examining table. Carefully she shifted to her other foot and pulled another picture down so she could see it clearly as she swallowed. "There was," she said just as evenly.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" he asked.

"Nope," she replied as she continued to write. "Go read Shisui's report. It has all the details."

She heard Itachi stop a few feet behind her. "I did read it. But I want to know what happened in your words."

Annoyance flared through her, but she still refused to turn around as she continued to pretend that she was working. "Why? My words are going to be the same as his."

Sakura could practically feel the frustration radiating off of him and she heard him sigh loudly as he walked over to stand next to her examining table. "Why won't you talk to me?" he asked sharply.

At his question, she felt her patience snap. Loudly, she slammed down her pen and turned to look at him angrily. "Why should I? You don't listen!"

The look of annoyance on his face immediately vanished and she saw his eyes widen as alarm made the stress lines on his face deepen. "Jesus, Sakura," he said as he grasped her chin lightly. His eyes filled with concern as he turned her head to the side to look at the bruise on her jaw that was probably a deep purple by now. "Are you alright?"

His hands were warm and comforting as his fingers smoothed over the painful and inflamed skin on her jaw. She flinched at the slight pressure he applied but it quickly passed as he tilted her chin up so he could get a better look. "Shisui didn't tell me it was this bad."

Disbelief flooded her at his words. Shisui had specifically told her he wouldn't tell Itachi and yet he had. He had lied to her face. Was there no one she could trust anymore?

Angrily, Sakura clenched her teeth together before she jerked back and smacked Itachi's hand away. "Don't touch me," she snapped angrily. She took a couple of steps away from him and crossed her arms as incredulity flashed across his face. Tears threatened to flood her eyes but she fiercely blinked them back as her anger got the better of her.

For the past couple of weeks, Itachi had been ignoring her and pushing her away, and now he wanted to talk to her and act like nothing was wrong? His mood swings were driving her up the wall and she was tired of running in circles.

Silence fell between them for a long couple of moments before Sakura eventually clenched her hands together into fists as she shook her head. "You have done all you can to ignore me and push me away and now you want to act like the loving boyfriend you used to be? Are you fucking kidding me?" she snapped.

He just stared at her.

"Leave me alone," she said coldly. "I can't even look at you anymore."

She watched as astonishment passed through his eyes as he stared her. She could tell that he didn't know how to react, but eventually his expression cleared and he nodded at her silently. "I will leave you to your work then," he said evenly, almost regretfully. He watched her for another long moment – as if hoping she would say something to make him stay – before he turned and walked out of her lab as silently as he had come.

Sakura just watched him leave with a dark glare on her face. Heavy breaths of air escaped out through her nose as rage threatened to override her completely. Her mind was a complete mess as she tried to figure out if she should be angry at Itachi or herself. Unfortunately, her common sense was quickly evaporating and all she could think of was all the wrong he had done towards her in the past couple of weeks. She hadn't been sure before, but now she had no doubt in her mind that she and Itachi were no longer a couple. And if she were being honest, she wasn't so sure if that was a bad thing.

* * *

It was nearing eleven o'clock at night when Sakura's anger finally began to cool. She had long since finished the work Shisui asked her to do and sent the report up to him that confirmed all the victims had been found near forest-like areas. Since then, she had been working on other reports and running tests for other cases that needed to be done.

Frankly, Sakura didn't know why she didn't just go home. It was late at night and she knew that Itachi wouldn't go to her apartment after the incident that occurred between them earlier. If she was being honest, she knew she just needed something to do. She wasn't all that tired, which was odd considering how long she had been awake. She knew if she went home she would just lie in bed and toss and turn until she had to get ready for work.

But now that she was just waiting for test results and didn't have any reports to write up, she found herself quickly becoming bored. She had been sitting in front of her computer, watching AFIS run through fingerprints to match the one she had scanned in for the past five minutes and she didn't think that it would get done any faster the longer she watched it.

Sighing softly, Sakura picked her head up out of her hands and gazed around the lab. Her eyes landed on the locked filing cabinet she had thrown all of her mail into the day before and she unconsciously chewed on the inside of her lip as she realized she found something else to do. Quietly Sakura pushed her chair away from her computer table and stood up before she made her way over to the cabinet. She easily unlocked it with her key and opened it. She pulled out the small pile of envelopes as well as the small package that had been delivered with it. Once she had them all, she deposited them on her examining table and began sorting through the envelopes, tossing the job offers to one side and letters from co-workers at other departments to the other.

When Sakura realized none of them were of utter importance, she turned her attention to the small box in front of her and cut the edges open with a pocket knife she kept in one of her drawers. After the tape was all cut through, she easily opened one of the sides and pulled out a small, hand-held tape recorder.

Immediately Sakura felt herself tense and she stared at it uncertainly. Hesitantly, she glanced at the door to the lab and stood absolutely still as she listened for anyone outside in the hall. When she didn't hear anything, she turned her attention back to the tape recorder and pressed play.

" _One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. One, two, three four. One. You're getting colder, Sakura."_

For a few long moments, Sakura could only stare at the tape. Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened as the tape stopped playing. Then her mind was in a frantic rush. She desperately tried to remember who had delivered the tape to her and she froze again as one person came to mind.

 _Yakushi Kabuto._

Now she finally understood why she had been so bothered about him being mentioned during Shisui's meeting. He was currently missing and supposedly on vacation. Yet, he had delivered her mail to her. How could she not have noticed this before?

Frantically, Sakura dropped the tape recorder and ran back to her filing cabinet to pull out the note she had received that night out in the woods. She didn't know why she hadn't thought of comparing his handwriting to the note before and mentally she smacked herself for it as she raced up to the lobby to grab the visitor's sign-in sheet from the day before. To the eye, the handwriting was identical, but there was only one way to be positive.

Quickly she raced back downstairs to her lab to scan both samples into her computer before she began the test. Almost immediately another screen popped up to show her a positive match and she stopped dead.

 _How could she have been so stupid?_ It was so obvious now. He had been the one to give her the package with the heart inside, he had obviously lied in his interview, he had a medical background and to top it off, he was missing.

Oh god, how was she going to tell Sasuke or Shisui or even Itachi? She had purposely withheld this evidence and because of it, she had forgotten to do the most obvious thing and scan his handwriting against the killers'. She was so going to get fired for this. But that wasn't the issue now. Right now, she needed to track Kabuto down and bring him in for questioning so they could figure out where the girl was he and his accomplice had kidnapped. If the killers were following their normal routine, another child was going to be killed sometime tomorrow.

Frantically, Sakura paced back and forth in front of her computer, every once and awhile glancing up to make sure the results actually said what she thought they did. Her mind was still running a million miles per second, but it stopped abruptly when her work phone began ringing. Slowly, Sakura swallowed and turned around to look at the phone against the far wall. She stared at it for a couple of seconds before she forced herself to walk over to it and answer it. She prayed to god it wasn't someone from work. "Officer Haruno speaking," she said as casually as she could.

A long silence met her. Then a cool voice spoke: "One, two, three, four. You're getting colder, Haruno."

Immediately, Sakura's anxiety turned into anger. "Yakushi," she hissed. "Your games aren't funny."

Kabuto chuckled darkly. "I find them funny."

"This isn't a game," she snapped. "These are young child who have every right to live as any other person."

"I know that," he answered casually.

Sakura took a deep breath to calm herself even as her rage continued to bubble in her chest and threat to consume her. "Then why do it?"

"Because he says so," Kabuto replied. "I do what he says no matter who it is or what it is."

"You're a fucking coward," she snapped into the phone. "I bet you can't even think for yourself. You just do the bidding of your accomplice and sit there like a puppet."

Another quiet chuckle sounded on the other end of the phone. "You couldn't be more wrong, Sakura." He rolled her name around in his mouth like he was eating the sweetest piece of candy he had ever tasted. "I do his bidding, but I am the one who decides when the children die and where their bodies are placed."

Sakura felt her shoulders tense in anger before something cold settled in her chest. "It was you," she said slowly. "You sent me that heart. You wrote me that note."

She could practically feel his smirk through the phone as he laughed to himself. "It took you long enough, Haruno. I would have thought that after Neji you would have had some practice."

A shaky break escaped out her lips. "Why?"

"Do you like games, Sakura?" he asked. The way he rolled her name off his tongue made her go cold. "I like games."

Sakura clenched her teeth together as her anger returned. "Why come after me?" she hissed.

Strangely enough, he sighed. "I've known you for four years, Sakura. Never once have you ever acknowledged me as more than the man who delivers your mail," he said coldly. "It was about time you looked at me for something more."

Her jaw nearly dropped open before the hand not holding the phone clenched into a fist. "You killed all those children because of a stupid _crush_?" she said furiously, incredulously.

"Well, not only," he said nonchalantly.

"You're a sick bastard!" she snarled.

He just chuckled. "I know."

"If you weren't such a fucking coward, I would come after you myself," she hissed. "It's no wonder you turned to murder. You're a nobody. And there's no way in hell I would ever have thought of you as more than just someone who does delivers my mail like a dog."

He snorted slightly. "I thought as much. You call me a nobody, but you're just as bad as me," he said darkly. "You're just like all of the other girls in the world. The only reason you're even dating the Superintendent General is because of his pretty face and his bank account."

Sakura shook her head furiously. "That's not true-," she started.

"And I'm not as much of a coward as you think, Sakura," he said lightly. "If you really want to come after me I'm on the western side of the Aokigahara woods." He paused for a moment. "Come find me."

Then he hung up.

For a moment, Sakura just stared at the phone. Then she slammed it down and grabbed her car keys as she hurried to the locker room where she kept her uniform. She quickly pulled on her bulletproof vest and zipped up her sweatshirt to hide it before she left again.

Quickly she raced to the elevator and hurried made for the second floor where they kept all their guns and artillery. Tenten was the officer on duty behind the counter and she smiled casually at Sakura upon her approach. "You're working late," she said as she leaned forward onto the silver countertop.

"Something came up," she said as evenly as she could. "I need a shot gun, a 22 millimeter and extra rounds."

Tenten's eyebrow rose in surprise and she straightened up as a serious expression came over her face. "What do you need all that for?" she asked.

Sakura tried to shrug as casually as she could. "Genma called me out into the field to back him up," she lied.

The expression on Tenten's face cleared at her answer and she gestured to the book on the counter as she turned around to collect the weapons Sakura asked for. "You need to sign the guns out and the number of rounds," she said as she pulled a shotgun out of the locked cabinet they had.

Without a word, Sakura pulled the clipboard to her and picked up the pen to sign the two guns out as well as the extra round Tenten handed her. She signed her name somewhat carelessly next to it before she put the pen down and stored the extra rounds in her sweatshirt pocket. She murmured a quiet good night to Tenten before she took the guns from the counter and hurriedly walked back to the elevator. Fortunately the lobby was empty when Sakura walked through it and she easily made it to her car where she dropped the shotgun in her trunk before she clipped the smaller weapon to her waist. Once both were stored away, she closed her trunk and climbed into the driver's seat before she drove off towards the towering forest on the outskirts of Tokyo.

It was dead silent when Sakura finally reached the edge of the forest and shut her engine off. The silence was nearly frightening. She felt like if she even breathed too loudly she would break the sharp stillness around her.

As quietly as she could, Sakura pulled the shotgun out of her trunk before she closed it again. Quietly, she scanned the edge of the woods, wondering if Kabuto was watching her. It was too dark for her to see very far, but there was just enough light for her to see a little ways in front of her. Quickly Sakura turned her gaze down to the gun in her hand. She easily loaded it, double-checking that they would be ready to use in a moment's notice.

Then she headed into the woods.

* * *

It was just after midnight when Itachi's cell phone woke him from his much needed sleep. He had been up early that morning to get ready for his meeting with Kisame and had stayed late at the office to pursue any leads that came up, which was especially hard when the only thing he could think of was Sakura's anger when she had all but said she hated him. He understood her anger to a certain point – she was right when she had claimed he had been pushing her away; he had been unintentionally doing so for a month – but he didn't understand how she could be so angry at him she could not even look him in the face.

The entire issue had kept him from focusing on his work and falling asleep until just an hour before, which is why a deep glare settled on his face as his phone continued to ring loudly on his nightstand.

With an annoyed sigh, Itachi reached over and picked up his phone. He cleared his throat lightly before he spoke: "Uchiha Itachi."

A female voice answered. "This is Tenten. Sorry for calling so late at night, Superintendent General, but I think we have a situation," she said with a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

Itachi sighed inaudibly as he pushed himself into a sitting position and swung his legs over the side of his bed. "What is it?" he asked not unkindly.

"It's about Haruno Sakura," she answered slowly.

Briefly, he closed his eyes and his shoulders visibly slouched. "Of course it is," he murmured just quietly enough for Tenten not to hear. Then he took a deep breath and stood up to collect his clothes. "What did she do?" he asked as he pulled on a pair of jeans over his boxers.

On the other end of the line, Tenten hesitated. "I'm not sure. Earlier tonight she checked out a shotgun and a 22 millimeter with extra rounds. She told me it was because Genma requested assistance in the field but he's off duty tonight. I don't know where she went."

Abruptly Itachi froze. His fingers stopped over the buttons of his shirt as his mind quickly calculated the reasons as to why Sakura would need those weapons. His first thought was for her to protect herself. She had told him at the beginning of the case when she received the unmarked heart that she was worried the killer was after her again. But the only reason she would take a shotgun was to hit someone without perfect accuracy.

She was going after someone.

Immediately Itachi snapped back to what he was doing. Quickly he finished buttoning his shirt and pulled on his shoes as he told Tenten he would be there soon. Once he was sure he had everything, he raced out the front door of his house and jumped into his car before he sped off to the department.

With the lateness of the hour, there were hardly any cars parked in the lot and only a night watchman behind the desk in the front lobby who was talking to – surprisingly – Kisame. When his ex-partner saw him, he immediately stopped his conversation with the younger male and looked at him in surprise. "I thought you went home," Kisame said lightly.

Itachi barely spared him a glance as he hurried to the elevator with the older man now in tow. "Something came up."

Kisame crossed his arms as he stopped next to Itachi and waited for the doors to open. "That always seems to happen." He shot a glance at Itachi who ignored him. "What is it this time?" he asked.

Itachi didn't answer immediately as they stepped inside when the elevator doors opened. "Sakura," he said in annoyance as his finger pressed the button for her lab with more force than necessary.

Without glancing at him, Itachi knew Kisame was watching him with a curious look, but fortunately the older man didn't speak as they rode the elevator down to the bottom floor. When they slid open again, Itachi hurried out into the hall and stepped through the doorway that led to Sakura's lab.

When Itachi walked into her lab, his hurried footsteps slowed to a stop. Her entire examining table was a mess. There was an evidence box on the far left side of the table while papers covered a good portion of the rest. On top of some of the papers was a small hand-held tape recorder with a small box next to it and her office work phone, which was only half settled on its stand like she had slammed it down and hadn't bothered to straighten it.

Still trying to take everything in, Itachi quietly approached the table with Kisame behind him and looked down at everything. His eyes ran over samples of the killers' handwriting and notes both Sakura and Temari had made. Kisame too looked over the papers silently, but his silence ended when he picked up a piece of paper. "Itachi, you need to see this."

Slowly he pulled his gaze from the mess of papers and took the white printer paper from Kisame's hands to read it.

 _"They bleed because of you and they will continue to, Haruno Sakura."_

Immediately Itachi's eyes widened and his gaze snapped to Kisame's, but his ex-partner wasn't looking at him. He was staring across the table to her computer. "It looks like Sakura figured out who the killer is – at least one of them," Kisame said; his tone was unreadable.

Itachi followed Kisame's gaze to her computer to see a name was flashing across the screen in a deep red color: _Yakushi Kabuto._

Slowly Itachi tore his gaze away from her computer when he felt Kisame's gaze on him. Their eyes met and understanding passed between them. They both knew this would be the second time a killer was after Sakura and neither of them was completely certain how she would react. Before, Sakura had been terrified – and rightly so – but lately she had been so angry and acting so rash that it was very likely that the guns she checked out from Tenten were for Kabuto.

Eventually, Kisame broke the silence. "Where did Sakura go?"

Itachi was quiet for a long moment. "I think she went after him."

Kisame's eyes widened before he looked at Itachi expectantly. "What are we supposed to do? Yakushi is supposedly missing. Who knows where she went."

Slowly Itachi dragged his eyes away from the older man and glanced down at the examining table again, looking for anything that would give him an answer. His eyes landed on her phone. "Get Kakashi in here," he said without turning his gaze away from her work phone. "I want him to look up Sakura's phone records. Maybe she got a phone call or made one."

Understanding passed through Kisame's eyes and he nodded before he made his way out of her lab, calling Kakashi on his way. The moment he was out of the room, Itachi turned his gaze back to the tape recorder and the empty box next to it. Silently he picked up a glove and used it to rewind the message and play the tape without leaving a fingerprint. Immediately the cold voice of Kabuto began:

" _One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. One, two, three four. One. You're getting colder, Sakura."_

Then the tape ended and the room fell silent again. With a cold feeling in his chest, Itachi turned to the box next to the recorder and closed to lid to see the top as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He dialed Sakura's number and listened to her phone ring as he read the top of the box. It had been delivered this morning. And she hadn't reported it at all, he realized as her phone reached her voicemail.

Quietly he closed his phone and put it back in his pocket as he realized the situation they were both in. Sakura hadn't reported the tape recorder or the note, which looked like she'd had quite a bit longer than just a day or two. She had broken protocol. If it wasn't for the fact she was currently missing and in danger of being murdered by the serial killer they were chasing, Itachi would have to contemplate whether or not he should fire her – because the truth was, he should.

But right now that didn't matter. He would worry about that later. Right now, Sakura was missing and he was going to find her. Because even though she was being completely frustrating and pushing him away with so much force it made his heart hurt, he did still have strong feelings for her and if anything were to happen to her, he would blame himself whether it was his fault or not.

* * *

Sakura wasn't sure how long she walked for. She tried not to think about it. It was dark and cold, but she refused to use the small flashlight stored in her back pocket. Any form of light would give her away. The trees were towering over her head and beginning to thicken enough to block out the sky over her head, making the forest even more threatening than it already was. Against her will, she felt her breathing increase, making a white mist in the air. It felt like her heart was in her throat and she could feel her muscles tensing as the blood roared in her ears.

And there was that undeniable, heart pounding feeling of being watched.

As sharp as her eyes were and as good as her hearing was, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being stalked like a predator's prey. She could feel fear creeping into the back of her mind. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she couldn't stop the small shake in her hands. Sakura could only imagine the reaction Itachi would have if he found out what she was doing. She wouldn't blame him though. She could openly admit that what she was doing was incredibly dangerous and stupid.

At the beginning of the case, she had been terrified at the thought that another serial killer was after her and now here she was, chasing after a murderer not knowing where he was and if he was more heavily armed than she was. The truth was she should be terrified and it would be a lie to say that she wasn't. She was hunting down a killer with nothing but a bulletproof vest and a couple of weapons.

Then something snapped behind her.

Quickly Sakura spun around and pointed her shotgun in the direction of the sound. Her eyes widened and she looked around frantically only to see nothing there. She held her breath and listened intently to the quiet forest around her as she stood as still as she could. When she heard another quiet rustling behind her, she didn't hesitate. She spun around and pulled the trigger.

She didn't hear her bullet make contact with anything as the blast echoed into silence. She breathed through her nose slowly and let her gaze roam around the entire area carefully as she searched for anything that could have caused the noise.

That's when a gunshot filled the forest a moment before excruciating pain lanced through her right shoulder. She groaned loudly and ducked down before she took cover behind a tree as three more shots filled the air. Short, uneven breath escaped through her mouth as she pressed her back flat against the tree and applied pressure to her wound. A shaky breath escaped her when she looked down at her hand and saw blood was pouring out of her shoulder and slowly travelling down the back of her hand. When she saw the amount covering her hand, she pressed her hand back over the wound and closed her eyes tightly as pain continued to lance through her right side.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" she heard Kabuto sneer. "Did I hurt you?"

Another short gasp of pain escaped Sakura's lips but she pulled her hand away from her shoulder and kicked the shotgun away from her as she pulled her 22 millimeter from her waist. "You missed," Sakura replied as evenly and sarcastically as she could.

When she heard him chuckle, she peeked out behind the tree and searched the area. It took her a moment to locate him, but when she saw a flash of movement, she fired her gun and kept pulling the trigger until the round was used up. Immediately she ducked behind the tree again and dropped the used clip to the ground before she reloaded her weapon.

Less than a moment after she stopped firing, more bullets make contact with the tree she was hiding behind. She held her breath and waited for them to stop before she fired again. She had only fired three bullets before she heard Kabuto groan loudly. Quickly Sakura jumped to her feet, flinching when her shoulder gushed blood and jolted pain through her arm, but she ignored it as she snatched up the shotgun she had discarded earlier and hurried to the tree Kabuto had been hiding behind.

When Sakura got close enough to see through the darkness, she found Kabuto sitting against a tree with a bullet through his shooting hand and upper arm. She pointed her shotgun at him and kicked his gun away as he looked up at her slowly. "Where is she?" Sakura hissed.

Kabuto just grinned bloodily at her.

Sakura cocked her gun and pointed it at his head. "I'm not playing around," she snarled.

Just as she spoke, a sudden round of dizziness hit Sakura and she had to blink hard to keep her vision clear. Then she focused on Kabuto again and held her gun to his head. His eyes darkened to a glare as he glanced down at his injured hand. "She's half a mile from here. In a small shed."

Sakura's dangerous expression didn't change even as her shoulder began pulsing to the beat of her heart. She had to keep blinking hard to keep the darkness threatening to take over at bay and her grip tightened on her gun when she felt her upper arm becoming slick with blood. "Take me to her," she hissed as she shoved the barrel of her gun into Kabuto's shoulder wound.

A sharp hiss escaped him but he managed to look up at her and glare slightly before he stood up. Sakura took a couple of steps backwards and allowed him to stand before she gestured for him to start walking. When he moved to lead her, she stood behind him and pressed the barrel of her gun to his back before she roughly forced him forward. Kabuto glared at her over his shoulder as he cradled his hand to his chest before he began walking.

She kept her eyes on him as they walked, watching for any sign that he would do something, but he just continued to keep walking forward. They had only gone a few paces when he glanced at her again. "I'm surprised you came," he said.

She didn't reply. She just pushed him in front of her with her gun again as she tried to hide the pain she felt when she moved her shoulder.

Kabuto snorted quietly. "You know, the first time I met you, I never expected you would do something as dangerous and stupid as this. What's you little boyfriend going to think?"

A deep glare fell across Sakura's face and she pushed him again. "Probably the same thing your sister would say if she found out what you've done."

The dark humor surrounding Kabuto vanished and he glared at Sakura over his shoulder. She could tell he wanted to say something nasty to her, but she was currently holding her shotgun to his head. Instead, he merely turned his gaze back to the forest in front of them.

He kept walking until a small shed came into view. When they reached it, he stopped and glanced at her, but Sakura was too busy staring at the small shack. There was a small door with a padlock on it and no windows, but it was in poor condition with holes in the roof and walls. The nights were slowly beginning to get colder and if the girl wasn't dressed properly she could easily freeze. It was winter after all.

"Here she is," Kabuto said darkly.

Quickly Sakura pulled her gaze away from the shed when she saw Kabuto was watching her with a slight smirk. His glasses made him look downright evil in the dark light and she felt her skin crawl at the smirk twisting his lips upwards. He had that look on his face like he knew something she didn't, but Sakura brushed it off. Her eyes narrowed and she cocked her gun, causing him to jump backwards in surprise. Her own lips twisted into a smile when his mouth pulled down into a worried frown.

But she didn't shoot him. Instead, she struck him on the side of the head hard enough to knock him unconscious with the barrel of the gun. He hit the forest floor hard, but Sakura was already moving towards the shed. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her shoulder was throbbing painfully as panic started in the back of her mind. Quickly Sakura tried the door only to growl in frustration when she saw the padlock was securely keeping it locked in place. Annoyed, Sakura brought her gun up and smashed the hilt down onto the lock, ignoring the pain in her shoulder and the feeling of satisfaction when it came off easily. Then she pushed the door open and stared at the sight that met her.

A small girl no older than nine years old was lying on the floor curled up in a ball. Her long hair was splayed around her head and she was wearing a long sleeved t-shirt and pants, but even from this distance Sakura could see how thin the material was. Automatically Sakura dropped her gun as she quickly raced to the girl's side. She grabbed her shoulder and rolled the girl onto her back to see that she her eyes were closed and her skin was pasty white. Sakura's breath caught in her throat as she searched for a pulse.

There was a faint heartbeat, but _she was_ _alive_.

Quickly Sakura pulled her phone out of her back pocket and dialed the lobby at the department. A male voice answered but Sakura didn't return his greeting as she asked who was on duty on the top floor. Her heart nearly stopped when he told her nearly half of the officers were there. Either something had happened or someone had found out she was missing.

But Sakura quickly swallowed and told him to transfer her call to the top floor. Surprisingly Kisame answered the phone. His voice was deep but unique enough that she knew it was him immediately. "Kisame," Sakura said nearly breathlessly.

He paused for a moment as if he was trying to place her voice. "Sakura?" he asked slowly. Then his voice sharpened. "Where the hell have you been? Where the hell are you? Do you know how long we've-?"

"Kisame, I found her," Sakura interrupted. They didn't have time for twenty questions. "The little girl they were going to murder. She's on the western side of the Aokigahara woods," she said as she pulled off her jacket and covered the girl with it.

There was a slight pause on the other end of the phone. "Is she alive?"

Sakura hesitated for a moment as she looked down at the young child. "Yes, but barely. She needs medical attention as soon as possible."

In the background, she heard Kisame yell for someone to get a medical team out to the woods before he turned back to her. "How did you find her?"

Again, she paused as she glanced to the open door of the shed where Kabuto was still unconscious. She bit her lip for a moment before she explained her situation. Kisame listened carefully as Sakura held her phone to her ear with her uninjured shoulder and began rubbing her hands up and down the girl's arms to warm her.

When she finished, he spoke again: "Alright. There's a team of officers only a couple of minutes out. They should be there soon."

Sakura's brow pulled together in confusion. "How-?"

"Itachi's been tracking your cell phone for nearly half an hour," he interrupted.

Immediately, Sakura felt her heart sink in her chest, but the feeling quickly vanished when she felt the girl take a deep breath. She opened her eyes slowly and blinked for a moment before she tensed and stared at her in horror. Immediately Sakura reacted. "It's all right," she said quickly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

It took a moment, but eventually the girl relaxed. "Where…where am I?" she asked slowly.

Sakura smiled down at her. "You're in the Aokigahara Woods. But I'm going to take you home," she said softly. "You're going to be okay." When the girl nodded, Sakura's smile widened. "What's your name?"

"Oshiro Hanabi," she replied quietly. "What's yours?"

Sakura placed her hand on Hanabi's head and gently ran her hand over her hair before she pulled her jacket further over the girl's body. "My name's Haruno Sakura."

The girl smiled softly at her, but before they could say anything more, Sakura heard voices in the distance. She immediately recognized Kakashi and Genma's voice as they hurried through the woods. A moment later, a small team raced into the small shed with medical equipment and flashlights. Sakura gave one last exhausted smile to the young girl before she moved out of the way to allow the medical team to get to her.

Everything that happened next was a bit of a blur to Sakura. She had been about to leave to help Kakashi and Genma with Kabuto but before she could get too far away, a paramedic had grabbed her and walked her to the edge of the woods before he forced her to sit in the back of an ambulance so he could look at her wound. She hadn't realized how weak and exhausted she felt from blood loss until she was finally able to sit down. With her eyes closing in exhaustion, she had just watched as he finished cleaning up as much blood as he could before more took its place. She guessed she hadn't realized how badly she was bleeding until the paramedic helped her lie down before he ordered the drivers to get her to the hospital as quickly as they could.

For the most part, Sakura had been in her own mind as they brought her to a room and began stitching up her injury as they gave her some pain killers and blood. She had sat in silence the entire time and the nurse helping her hadn't spoken to her besides to ask her questions that were medically relevant.

The nurse had just about finished stitching up her wound when the door opened. Casually Sakura glanced up only to cringe mentally when she saw Itachi standing in the door way. He was dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a white button-up shirt he had worn the day before, but even from this distance she could see the stress on his face and her gaze quickly fell when she knew she was the cause of it.

Without a word, Sakura heard Itachi closed the door behind him before he stood silently as the nurse finished. She smiled at Sakura and told her to take it easy on her shoulder before she left, nodding politely at Itachi on her way out.

The moment the door closed Sakura felt like she couldn't breathe.

For a long moment, silence filled the room as Sakura stared at the floor. The pain in her shoulder was only a dull throb now thanks to the pain killers the nurse had pumped her full of so she was left with no choice but to focus on the stare Itachi was burning into her head. Then he finally spoke. "Are you out of your God damn mind, Sakura?" he snapped sharply. "You could have been killed!"

Sakura didn't dare turn her gaze up to look at him. She had never once heard him swear, never the less towards her, but the tone in his voice told her that he wasn't just angry with her; he was downright pissed off. It was enough to make her tremble slightly.

"I don't know what is going on with you," he continued angrily, "but you have been out of control for months now. What the hell were you thinking withholding evidence like that? I should take your badge!"

Sakura's head snapped up to look at him and she opened her mouth to argue, but nothing came out. It took her a moment to realize how he even knew she had been withholding evidence, but then she remembered she had left it all out on her examining table in her haste to go after Kabuto. For a few moments, she just stared at him with her mouth parted as she tried to find the right words to say, but eventually she gave up and bowed her head again. She closed her eyes briefly and nodded without looking up.

A moment of silence passed before she heard Itachi sigh softly. "Now, I'm not going to," he said. His voice had changed to something softer and more understanding but there was a small hint of strain in his undertone that told her he was still incredibly angry at her. "If you had not gone out there, we would be searching for another body in the morning. Your actions were idiotic and rash but they were self-sacrificing."

Sakura refused to tear her eyes away from the floor even as Itachi expressed his gratitude. She felt more uncomfortable now than she had with him in a long time and she didn't know how to act. Before she could just walk away, but right now he was very obviously her boss and he could – and probably should – fire her.

Suddenly, Sakura heard Itachi take a few steps towards her. "How is your shoulder?"

She still didn't look up. "It's fine."

When his shoes came into her downcast view, she tensed. Unconsciously she tightened her grip on the bed sheets under her and tried to hide the fact that she was physically shaking, though, from what she didn't know. She still wasn't sure if Itachi was still currently acting as her boss, but she refused to meet his gaze and so she remained silent.

"How does it really feel?" he asked lightly.

She flinched slightly when his fingers brushed the side of her arm next to her wound, but otherwise she didn't move. It had been a long time since the last time he had touched her – since the afternoon she had thought she had been pregnant – and she welcomed his touch almost too readily and it scared her. "It hurts," she murmured softly.

She heard him sigh quietly as his fingers left her arm. The moment she felt the bed dip next to her, she stiffened again and kept her gaze hard-fixed on the floor. She didn't want to know what expression was in his eyes; she didn't want to know what he was thinking. There could only be a short list of things running through his mind and she didn't like any of them.

A long moment of silence passed before she heard Itachi sigh again. "Sakura, we-," he began.

There was a quiet knock on the door before a nurse pushed it open slightly and peeked her head in. She smiled politely at Itachi before she looked at Sakura. "The young girl, Hanabi, wants to see you, Officer Haruno," she said.

Sakura glanced at her and nodded once before the nurse left the room. Still, Sakura didn't move. She glanced at Itachi out of the corner of her eyes, waiting for his permission to leave, before she stood from the bed and walked out of the room. After a moment Itachi followed behind her, but instead of following after her down the hall, he walked over to the far side of the room where Sasuke was standing.

There was a male nurse inside Hanabi's room when Sakura walked in. The man smiled at her but left without saying a word as he closed the door behind him. Once he was gone, Sakura put on a smile and approached the bed the young girl was resting in. "Hey honey," she said softly. "How are you feeling?"

All traces of a smile were gone from the girl's face. "Sakura-san," Hanabi said, "where's my sister?"

Sakura looked at her in confusion. "Your sister?

She nodded. "Her name's Masaru. She's my twin sister."

Sakura's confusion only deepened. "Twin?"

Understanding dawned on her when she remembered Kabuto's strange grin even after he had showed her to the shed. He had known that this girl had a twin sister that the police department didn't even know about. He knew that even though he was caught, his accomplice would still have her sister. And he planned to let his accomplice to continue through with the murder even if he was caught.

With a fake smile, Sakura gave Hanabi's shoulder a small squeeze and murmured a quick reassurance before she quietly left the room. The moment the door closed behind her, Sakura's light expression hardened. She hurried over to where Sasuke and Itachi were speaking with Kisame and stopped next to the younger male with a serious expression on her face. "What room is Yakushi in?"

Sasuke glanced at Itachi before he looked at her in surprise. "Sakura, why do you need-?"

"What room, Sasuke?" she snapped.

Immediately his expression turned from surprise to worry as he realized how serious she was. "He's down the hall with Kakashi and Genma guarding him. What are you-?"

Before he could finish, Sakura was already racing down the hall, searching for the door with the two men outside. When she found the room, she brushed past both Genma and Kakashi, and threw the door open. She vaguely heard them call her name as they, as well as Itachi, Sasuke and Kisame, quickly followed her into the room, but she ignored them. She was too focused on what she was doing to listen.

Upon her loud entrance, Kabuto looked up abruptly. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could utter a single word, Sakura gripped his hospital gown and pinned him down onto the bed. Immediately he fought against her but with each of his wrists handcuffed to the bed, he could only barely struggle. Sakura just pushed him down harder. "Where is she?" she hissed dangerously.

He glared up at her. "What are you talking about?"

Sakura matched his glare with one of her own. "The girl's sister; her twin. Where is she?"

A smirk tugged on Kabuto's lips even as he continued to glare at her and she had to stop herself from hitting him. "You'll never find her," he replied with a sick grin.

Sakura felt her anger rise and she purposely pressed the palm of her hand into the wound on his shoulder as she towered over him. He hissed at the pain as his glare returned. "Where is she?" she asked again dangerously.

There was pain in his eyes, but he stubbornly kept his mouth shut as he stared back at her. Angrily, Sakura leaned down so their faces were only inches apart. She looked him directly in the eyes as his dark orbs continued to glare up at her. "Perhaps I should ask your sister," she said in a dangerous whisper. "I can drag her into the police department and have her interrogated until she somehow incriminates herself. I can lock her away from the rest of her life and her child will go into an orphanage. Is that what you want?"

Satisfaction rose in her chest when she saw Kabuto's eyes widen and panic strike through his eyes. "Don't," he said quickly. "Leave her out of this."

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she growled dangerously, "Then tell me where the girl is."

Once again his eyes narrowed in anger but he kept his mouth shut. Impatiently, Sakura pressed her palm down onto his injury even harder, causing the air to hiss through his teeth in pain. "Alright," he said thickly.

Slowly Sakura released her grip on his injured shoulder but she didn't let go completely as he glared up at her again. He glanced over her shoulder to Itachi and Sasuke before he looked back at her. "There's another cabin in the woods. It's two miles in from the west side."

Sakura felt her grasp on his hospital gown loosen before another question came to mind. She gripped the fabric of his gown tightly and pinned him down once more. "Why are there twins? Have there always been two murders?"

Kabuto shook his head. "No, just this time."

Her eyes narrowed in confusion and anger. "Why? Why just this one time?"

Again, Kabuto struggled against the handcuffs keeping him pinned to the bed. "Because he said so. He said you were getting too close to catching us. He said we needed to do something new to throw the police off our course so he told me to find a set of twins."

Her confusion only grew. "Who is 'he'?"

Kabuto closed his eyes momentarily before he blinked and looked her in the eyes, his glasses flashing from the hospital lighting. "My uncle. She's with my uncle. His name is Orochimaru."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten  
The Accomplice

It had only taken Sakura a half an hour to get from the hospital to the department. She had all but forced the nurse to sign her discharge papers before she rode with Sasuke in his car back to the police department. Almost every field officer was there, pulling on bulletproof vests, their uniforms and other materials of protection as Tenten checked out guns to everyone.

Sakura had only barely glanced at Sasuke on her way in before she rode up to the third floor where the locker rooms were. She quickly made her way to her own locker where she kept her uniform and opened the metal door as Ino stopped next to her. "I heard what happened," her blonde friend said quietly. "Are you alright?"

Without looking up, Sakura pulled her uniform off the hanger and quickly dropped it on the bench before she reached in to grab the rest of her gear. "I'm fine," she said, even as her shoulder reminded her what had happened barely two hours earlier.

Sakura didn't have to look to see her best friend's worried gaze. Ino didn't reply as Sakura got her things together quickly. She had just pulled her boots out of her locker when she suddenly felt her best friend's arms around her as she pressed the side of her face into the space between her shoulders. "Promise me you'll be okay," Ino murmured.

Quietly, Sakura took a deep breath and placed her hand atop Ino's arms before she slowly turned around in her grasp. Ino pulled back slightly when Sakura moved and she dropped her arms back down to her sides as Sakura faced her. The pink-haired woman gave Ino a meaningful look even as she felt her heartstrings tug sharply at the unshed tears in her best friend's eyes. "Ino, you shouldn't be going," she said quietly. "I mean you're pregnant for God's-."

"Sh!" Ino quickly shushed her. She glanced around to be sure they were alone before she turned her gaze back to Sakura. "I haven't told anyone yet," she admitted. "I was going to tell Shikamaru last night, but then I didn't know how to. He would want me off this case and I'm already too far into it to be taken off."

Sakura gave her a disapproving look but it was only half-hearted. Slowly Sakura shook her head before she looked Ino in the eyes. "I promise you I'll be okay only if you are."

Taking a deep breath, Ino nodded. They braced quickly before Ino pulled back and glanced at the door to the locker room. "I'll meet you down in the lobby," she said before she hurriedly left the locker room.

The moment she was out of sight, Sakura returned to changing into her uniform. She pulled on her pants and tied the laced on her boots together. As she stood up, a quiet hiss of pain escaped her as her shoulder throbbed. Automatically her hand went to the gauze covering her stitches and she waited until most of the pain subsided before she carefully pulled off the t-shirt she wore into the woods earlier. A small frown fell across her face upon seeing all the blood stained down the side, but she quickly pulled her gaze away from the bloody material as she dumped it in the trash and turned her attention back to her locker. Quietly Sakura grabbed a black tank top from the top shelf and yanked it over her head as carefully as she could. Once it was on, she looked down at the bench next to her and searched for what she needed to put on next. She hesitated when she spotted her bulletproof vest.

Slowly Sakura reached down and picked it up before she gazed at it slowly. Her eyes traced the non-existent trails of blood that had been splattered against it earlier. She had learned as she was being released that Sasuke had been kind enough to clean it for her earlier, but she could still see what it had done for her. There was a mark in the side from where it had stopped a bullet that would have undoubtedly ripped through one of her kidneys and killed her. The fabric on the same shoulder where she had been shot was frayed and torn from where the bullet had ripped the outer stitching before it went into her shoulder.

Thinking back now, she didn't know what the hell she had been thinking. In fact, for the past couple of weeks she didn't know what she had been thinking. If she hadn't withheld evidence, they probably would have caught Kabuto earlier and been able to bring him in again for questioning, this time under arrest. They probably would have found the girls sooner and known that there were two of them.

She had irrefutably screwed up this time.

"How many lives do you think you have, Sakura?" a soft voice asked quietly.

Slowly Sakura looked up from the vest in her hands to the entrance of the locker room. Itachi was standing in the doorway, watching her with an unreadable expression. She just stared at him with a similar expression her face as she realized that all the anger she felt towards him for the past couple of months was gone. Now, she just felt empty.

"I don't know," she replied softly. "I'm still counting."

There was a slight change to Itachi's expression but it was so subtly that she couldn't tell exactly what it was. She could feel a strange pull between them that hadn't been there in the past couple of weeks, but it didn't feel the same as before when they had been together. It was hard to describe but she felt it. And somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered if he did too.

Slowly Sakura turned her gaze back down to her vest as she heard Itachi take a few steps into the locker room. "I don't want you to go out there," he said just as quietly as before.

Her eyes didn't turn from her vest as she shook her head softly. "I know you don't like it, Itachi," she said carefully, "but my job description says I'm a field officer; not a forensic scientist."

When he didn't reply, she carefully unzipped her vest and slipped it on. She pulled her hair out of the collar and zipped it back up before she tugged it down slightly so it felt more comfortable. It fit snuggly to her chest and torso, and she flinched slightly when the material rubbed against the stitches in her shoulder that were hidden beneath the square piece of gauze.

"You should not be going out into the field while you are injured," he said.

Sakura didn't spare him a glance at she pulled her uniform shirt from her locker and slipped it on as well. "It's an occupational hazard."

She heard him sigh as his patience began to give away. "I don't know what you're trying to prove, but doing it is going to get yourself killed."

"I'm not trying to prove anything," Sakura said quickly as she finally looked up at him again. She could see the frustration in his eyes as well as worry, but his expression was otherwise just as unreadable as before.

"Then stop trying to do everything, Sakura," he replied slowly, but firmly.

His tone stopped her from replying and she could only stare at him as he in turn watched her. A long moment passed between them before she finally drew her eyes from his. She glanced at her locker to be sure she had everything she needed before she quietly closed it and turned to look at him again. "I should go. I suspect we're leaving soon."

She walked past him but before she could reach the door, he grabbed her upper arm on her uninjured side. He forced her to stop and turn around to look at him. "Just be careful. Don't do anything I wouldn't."

Again, Sakura realized that if this conversation had happened the night before she would have been angry, absolutely furious, but now she only stared back at him with a strange calmness settled in her chest. "If I were to do that, Itachi," she said quietly, "I would be sitting on the sidelines."

Carefully, she pulled her arm from his grasp and walked out of the locker room. She had only made it a couple of steps passed the doorway when she heard him reply almost too quietly for her to hear. "Not this time."

* * *

To her surprise, Itachi had been serious about going with them. When she and Itachi had reached the lobby, they had gone their separate ways without a word as the department split up into teams. Without complaint, she had joined Sasuke's team and accepted the shotgun Tenten offered her before she grabbed the earpiece Sasuke handed to her.

Once she had finished getting ready, she had looked up to find all the teams that were ready to go were heading out. She had caught Itachi's eye and found that he was geared up much like her with his own shotgun in hand. Surprisingly, his old friend and ex-partner, Hoshigaki Kisame, was next to him wearing his full SAT uniform with his own shotgun in hand, but her eye contact with Itachi had quickly broken when Sasuke announced they were all set to go. Without a second glance at Itachi, she, Sasuke and the rest of their team – namely Naruto and Kankuro – headed out.

It had taken another ten minutes or so before the rest of the police cars had arrived at the edge of the woods. By the time everyone parked, the pale fingertips of the sun were only just beginning to show in the dark sky. It relieved Sakura a little to know that she wouldn't have to climb through these woods in the dark again. Though, that thought quickly vanished when Itachi's voice crackled through her earpiece, telling the teams to start the search and not get separated. Automatically Sasuke took the lead as they hurried through the thick trees and underbrush.

For nearly fifteen minutes, the department hiked through the woods at a rushed pace. Sakura could feel her thighs burning as they travelled uphill quickly, climbing under and over fallen trees and through half-frozen mud. Her shoulder was beginning to throb painfully from its overuse but she kept moving even as more mud made her slip slightly with every step and more fallen trees partially blocked their path. In the early morning light, Sakura could barely see the other teams through the trees, but the crunching of boots on dead, frozen leaves and the soft whines of the search dogs echoed quietly through the trees, reassuring her that the others were close by.

" _We're about to reach the two mile mark,"_ Shisui's voice said through the radio a few minutes later. _"Stay sharp."_

Even through the crackle of the radio, she could hear the slight pant in his voice and unconsciously her fingers tightened on her shotgun as they picked up their pace slightly. Her breath was coming out of her nose in quiet puffs of air and from the flushed cheeks and noses of Naruto and Kankuro, she could tell they were beginning to tire too. Even Sasuke with his back turned to her as he stayed in the lead looked like he could use a short break, but none of them stopped or slowed down as the land in front of them quickly turned into a steep hill.

They had only just started up a steep hill when Sakura heard the low whines of the dogs. Immediately everyone stopped as Shisui's voice spoke through the radio again. _"Kakashi, report."_

The head of their canine unit paused before the radio turned on again. _"The dogs smell something. They're trying to pinpoint it now."_

" _Keep us updated,"_ Shisui replied.

Kakashi murmured a confirmation before the radio fell silent again. Sasuke slowly made his way back to them and told them to double check their gear before things got busy. Without a word, Sakura began checking the gear around her waist when something reached her ears. Slowly, she picked her head up and gazed up the hill before she slowly took a few more steps forward.

"Sakura," Sasuke called.

She stopped but didn't turn to look at him. "Do you hear that?" she asked.

Sasuke approached her quietly and came to a halt at her side silently. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully as they both listened to the small hum in the distance. "That sounds like a boat engine."

Slowly, Sasuke and Sakura glanced at each other before they both started a fast pace up the hill. Their breath made white mist form in the air behind them as they unconsciously picked up their pace. The stitches in her shoulder began to throb, but she ignored the pain and pushed herself to keep going. A couple of times, Sakura felt her feet slipped in the half-frozen mud causing her to stumble, but she would quickly catch herself again and continue at Sasuke's pace as the sound of an engine got louder.

At the top of the hill, the land leveled out slightly, but they kept up their fast pace as the sound became more distinct. A few minutes later, the trees thinned out and Sakura had to skid to a stop as the ground gave way to a steep, sudden cliff. Her eyes widened at the twenty or so foot drop as she found herself looking down at a small lake.

Immediately, she spotted the small cabin across the way and the dirt road that wrapped around the side of it before it disappeared into the woods. There was an old truck parked in front of the cabin with an empty boat trailer on the back. Automatically her eyes travelled to the small dock and cement boat ramp, and finally the small, black fishing boat in the center of the lake.

From this distance, she could make out the man Kabuto had described as his uncle. Orochimaru had long, unkempt black hair and pasty white skin. His face was currently hidden behind his hair as he bent down and fiddled with something in the boat, but eventually he straightened as he picked up whatever he had been toying with.

Sakura's eyes widened and she cocked her gun as Orochimaru pulled Hanabi's twin sister, Masaru, off the floor of the boat and sat her on the edge of the small craft. Even from this far away, Sakura could see her feet and hands were bound and there was a gag in her mouth. Then she realized the thing Orochimaru was messing with was the cement block tied to her feet.

"Sasuke," she hissed.

She glanced at him when he remained silent. His expression was blank, but his gaze didn't waver from the small boat even as their radio crackled. _"Sasuke, Sakura, where the hell are you?"_ Naruto asked.

Sakura looked at Orochimaru and Masaru before glancing at Sasuke again. "Sasuke," she snapped as she raised her own gun. "If you don't give me permission to shoot, I will anyway."

The radio in their ears crackled again. _"Sasuke, Sakura, state your current location,"_ Itachi's voice ordered.

Looking through the sights of her gun, Sakura flipped the safety off. "Sasuke."

The moment her finger touched the trigger, a shotgun blast echoed through the still forest. Sakura snapped her eyes to Sasuke just as he lowered his weapon, but she quickly looked away again as Orochimaru hoisted Masaru up and tossed her over the side of the boat.

Sakura's breath caught in her throat and automatically she took a step forward only to jerk back and duck behind a tree trunk when Orochimaru picked up a gun that had been hidden at the bottom of his boat and returned fire.

" _Sakura, Sasuke, where are you?"_ Itachi's voice snapped in her ear.

Both of them ignored him as a bullet made the bark on the tree above Sakura's head explode. From her quick glance, his gun had been a semi-automatic pistol and so she counted out the six shots it held before she and Sasuke fired again. The sounds of gun fire echoed around the woods and in the back of her mind, Sakura heard the dogs barking as they got closer followed by the voices of team leaders as they gave orders.

Honestly, Sakura wasn't entirely sure which one of them fired the kill shot, but the moment Orochimaru collapsed backwards inside his boat awkwardly and didn't get up again, Sakura was moving. She quickly dropped her gun, striped off her heavier gear, and yanked her earpiece out before she jumped off the edge of the cliff without a second thought.

The large drop made her stomach feel like it had flown into her throat and her heart had stopped in her chest even as her adrenaline kicked in, and she vaguely heard Sasuke call her name, but his voice was quickly drowned out when the water engulfed her.

The moment the water grab hold of her, her muscles froze in shock from the frigid temperature. The air in her lungs threatened to escape out her nose, but she quickly got her bearings and clawed her way to the surface. When her head broke the top of the water, she sucked in a much needed breath before she quickly swam to the edge of the boat where small air bubbles kept popping up. Once she was over them, she dove down.

Quickly, Sakura pushed herself to swim as fast as she could to the bottom of the lake even as her wet clothing slowed her down. A jolt of panic swept through her when she realized it was deeper than she anticipated and she could barely see anything through the murky water that stung her eyes, but she forced herself to keep going down even as her mind screamed at her to go back to the surface. It didn't take long before her muscles began aching painfully from the freezing water and her lungs began to burn from lack of oxygen. Her mind began to scramble as she realized she was going to need air soon, but she refused to turn around.

It was at the exact same moment that Sakura knew she needed to get to the surface or risk drowning that the shadow of a small figure in the water caught her attention. Ignoring the burn of her muscles and the stinging of her eyes, Sakura quickly swam over to her. Even through the muddy water, Sakura could see Masaru's eyes were closed and there were only very small air bubbles escaping out of her nose, but instead of shaking her conscious, Sakura swam down to her feet to the cement block holding her in place.

Quickly, Sakura unbuckled her shoes when she saw the rope was tied through her laces and pulled her feet out of them before she wrapped an arm around the girl and frantically kicked her way to the surface.

With the added weight and her own clothes weighing her down, the swim back to the surface was dangerously slow. Sakura swore her lungs were going to burst from lack of oxygen and it felt like her muscles were about to stop working as her shoulder lanced pain through her side like she had just been shot again only worse. It felt like she was carrying a bag of potatoes and her lack of oxygen was making her dizzy and tired.

But just when she thought she was going to pass out, her head broke the surface. Quickly Sakura sucked in a couple of deep breaths of air before she hurriedly swam to the dock. She had only made it about halfway when she vaguely saw officers and dogs race into the clearing out of the corner of her eyes.

When she finally made it to the dock, Kakashi and Kisame were already waiting for her. They quickly held out their hands and tiredly Sakura pushed Masaru up high enough for them to grab her before they hoisted her out of the water. The moment Sakura let go of her, she felt so weak she thought was going to sink under the water in exhaustion, but before she could Kisame held out his hand for her.

Weakly, Sakura held up her arm to grasp his hand before he pulled her up. His strength surprised her for he managed to pull her onto the dock with no help from her. The moment her body hit the wooden platform, she collapsed onto her side and watched through half-lidded eyes as Kakashi gave the girl CPR.

Sakura's heart was pounding in her chest and once she was able to mostly catch her breath, she forced her weak muscles to move so she could push herself into a sitting position and watch as Kakashi alternated between breathing air into her lungs and applying chest compressions.

The next couple of minutes felt like an eternity as more officers arrived on the scene and watched on in silence. Sakura's breath made white mist appear in the air and she watched with wide eyes as Masaru made no response. She could feel her entire body becoming numb, but she wasn't sure if it was because of the crisp air that was washing over her wet form or the fear bubbling in her chest.

After what seemed like an entire lifetime, Kakashi sat back and shook his head slowly. "She's gone."

Slowly Sakura turned her gaze from the girl's pale, unmoving face to Kakashi. His expression was blank but his bi-colored eyes were dark in sadness. When she looked at Kisame she saw his brow was pinched slightly and his dark eyes held a pain she wasn't familiar with, but they quickly cleared as he turned to look at her. A frown spread across his face but he didn't say anything as he pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders to help keep her warm.

It didn't help. Sakura felt cold down to her very soul.

The entire area seemed still as officers gazed on, not knowing what to do. Everyone watched on silently, but eventually the crowd parted as Itachi and Sasuke stepped through to stop next to Shisui who had witnessed the entire thing. Sasuke was holding her gear, but he didn't approach her as his eyes took in the scene laid out before him on the dock.

It was Itachi that broke the silence. "Call Shizune," he said lightly, "and mark off the area." He slowly walked across the dock and stopped next to them to look down at the girl. There was an air of sadness radiating off of him, but he didn't speak as his gaze turned towards the lake. "We're going to need to get that boat," he said softly.

Without a word, Sakura followed his gaze. From this angle, she thankfully couldn't see Orochimaru's body as the boat slowly turned in place. Looking at it now, Sakura realized the small craft wasn't black, but instead a dark green. The sides of the boat were smooth and there was a slight water line, bleaching the green paint a lighter color. On the back of the boat, just above the water line was its name: _Water Nymph_.

Slowly Sakura pulled her eyes away from the small craft. She was so exhausted that just the thought of someone having to retrieve it made her tired. Automatically her gaze turned back to the dead child in front of her, but it slowly turned to Shino when he took a step towards the dock. "I'll take a car back to the department and retrieve a boat," he said quietly.

Itachi nodded and they watched as he turned away and started towards the dirt road next to the cabin.

Apparently someone had ordered some officers to return to the vehicles and bring them to the cabin for when Shino reached the dirt path, the first of many police cruisers made their way out of the woods. Sakura watched for a moment as he took a car from someone before she diverted her gaze again.

That's when Itachi finally fixed his eyes on her. She didn't look up at him, but she could feel his gaze as he watched her. "You tore your stitches," he said quietly.

Slowly Sakura dragged her eyes away from the small child and glanced down to see that he was right. A pale pink mix of blood and water was slowly dripping down her arm, but her body was so numb from loss and the ice water that she didn't feel the pain in her shoulder or the blood as it marked a path down her arm. Instead, the longer she watched the blood trail down her arm and the longer Itachi stared at her with that pitiful gaze she felt herself become so hopeless she didn't even have the strength to move.

It wasn't fair. She gave everything she had to save these two girls and all she managed was to save one of them? It wasn't _fair_. Who the hell gave Kabuto and his jackass uncle, Orochimaru, the right to play God? What made them think that they could just go and kill anyone who they wanted? It just wasn't fair…

When Sakura didn't acknowledge him, Itachi quietly bent down and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to help her to her feet. Her frozen muscles screamed in protest at the movement and she leaned heavily against him as she stood. Itachi must have sensed how weak she was for when she was back on her feet, he kept his grip on her. And though Sakura didn't show it, she was grateful. Itachi's skin had always been incredibly warm to the touch for her and so she greedily sucked it up the warmth.

"Kakashi," Itachi suddenly said. "Please escort Sakura to the hospital," he ordered calmly. "And make sure the nurses discharge her when they feel she's ready. Am I understood?"

Out of the corner of her eyes, Sakura saw the older man nod. He carefully stepped around the young girl and gently wrapped his arm around Sakura's waist to keep her from falling. The moment Itachi released his grasp on her, Sakura missed it. Kakashi was warm, but nothing compared to the feeling of comfort Itachi's touch had on her. Unfortunately, she also knew that Itachi had a job to do and he couldn't be the one to escort her, which for the first time in a long time disappointed her.

Though, she wasn't given much time to think about it as they made their way off the dock and towards the dirt road. As they made their way towards the police cruisers, Hinata approached them and handed Kakashi a set of keys. He took them from her with a quiet murmur of thanks before he walked to the car and helped Sakura into the passenger seat. Once she was situated, he climbed into the driver's side and took off towards the hospital.

Surprisingly when they reached the hospital, Doctor Tsunade was there to meet them. The blonde woman didn't say anything but she nodded at Kakashi before she gestured for Sakura to follow her. Without a word to Kakashi, Sakura followed the older woman up to the next floor and into a hospital room. She pulled off her wet clothing when Tsunade ordered her to strip and accepted the hospital gown the blonde woman offered her before she changed. Once she was out of her frozen clothes, she sat on the provided bed and waited silently.

Quietly, Sakura watched as Tsunade moved about the room, collecting the medical supplies she needed to stitch up her injury. At one point, the blonde woman disappeared into the joined bathroom and returned a moment later with a large towel. With a quiet murmur of thanks, Sakura began drying her frozen hair.

Once the water was mostly out of her hair, Sakura grasped the towel in her hands tightly as a lump formed in her throat. She blinked fiercely to keep the tears forming in her eyes back and swallowed thickly. "We didn't save her," she said quietly. "We didn't make it in time."

Tsunade stopped what she was doing to turn and look at Sakura. Her expression was mostly unreadable but there was a sadness etched into the corners of her mouth and eyes that showed she understood how she felt. "Sometimes these things happen," she said calmly. Her voice was flat but there was an undertone that betrayed her sorrow.

Sakura shook her head slowly as she gazed down at the towel again. "I know, but we were so close. I thought that…I didn't think she would…"

Tsunade frowned slightly when she trailed off but didn't press. "What about the murderer?"

Sakura shook her head slightly. "Kabuto's still in custody, but his uncle is dead." She fell quiet when her memory flashed back to when Orochimaru fell backwards onto the seats of the boat and didn't get up again. She hadn't remembered firing her gun the moment before he fell; in fact, she had just finished loading more rounds into her shotgun. "I think Sasuke killed him," she murmured quietly.

Silently Tsunade wrapped the large towel around Sakura's shoulders before she turned her attention to her face. With gentle hands, she carefully grasped Sakura's chin and turned her head to the side. "What happened to your jaw?" she asked softly.

Memories from the night before flashes through her mind as she recalled Itachi had grasped her chin in exactly the same manner. Now she wished she hadn't pushed him away. He was only trying to help. She had just been so angry she had just snapped. Thinking back now, she didn't even know why she had been so angry. Maybe it was because she _had_ wanted him there to protect her for Kiba. Or maybe she just wanted him to show that he still loved her. Whatever the reason was, it was too late now for her to take it back. He probably hated her now.

Thinking back now, after everything that had happened, it was hard to believe that her fight with Kiba had only been the night before. This entire night had been so long. Though, if she were being honest, these past two months had been long. And she was beyond ecstatic that everything was coming to an end.

"Kiba decided he wanted to give me one more bruise," Sakura finally said quietly.

Tsunade frowned but she didn't comment as she released Sakura's jaw. Sakura just watched silently as the blonde woman gathered the rest of the things she needed before she pulled a chair over to the bed and carefully pushed the hospital gown off of her shoulder. Once the material was out of the way, she cleaned the wound and gave Sakura some pain killers before she began the procedure of stitching the bullet wound back together.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven  
The Results

Tsunade had released Sakura after she had finished stitching her injury back together and ordered her off active-duty until the wound was fully healed. Kakashi had asked if she was sure she wanted to release her that early, but Tsunade had merely said that as long as she didn't over use it, she would be fine. After that, Sakura had asked for a change of clothes before she and Kakashi left the hospital.

It was nearly noon when she made it back to the police department. Almost the entire department was there, but instead of the loud chatter she was used to hearing on the top floor, it was so silent it was suffocating. Everyone appeared to be working as they finished their reports and files, but Sakura didn't miss the way everyone's pens seemed to be still against the paper or the way the air was absent of typing.

Ino was the first person Sakura actually looked at. Her blonde friend was bent over her desk with a pen in her hand, but the tip didn't move as it pressed against the paper, staining one spot a dark blue. Upon her gaze, Ino slowly looked up and her eyes widened when she saw Sakura standing there. Immediately she dropped her pen and they raced into each others' arms when they saw the other was safe.

"Thank god you're alright," Sakura murmured quietly into her blonde friend's hair.

Ino gripped her just as tightly as her arms wrapped around her middle to avoid her shoulder injury. "What about you? Is your shoulder alright? When Kisame pulled you out of the water, there was so much blood."

Slowly Sakura pulled back and nodded. "Yeah, it's fine. I just tore the stitches."

Ino smiled in relief, but it quickly faded and she glanced away. Slowly Sakura followed her gaze and frowned in confusion when she found herself looking at the closed door to Itachi's office. She glanced back at Ino to ask her what was wrong, but her blonde friend spoke before she could voice her puzzlement.

"They're in there," she said quietly. "Itachi had Genma and Shikamaru pick up the twins' mom earlier. They grabbed Hanabi from the hospital too so they could talk to them together."

Sakura felt her heart climb into her throat and threaten to choke her. She glanced at Itachi's office and felt her heart break just a little bit more when she realized all the pain and suffering that family had to go through. In the back of her mind, she knew that there was nothing she could have really done to prevent any of this from happening but an even larger part kept repeating that this was her fault; if she hadn't been so self-absorbed with her own problems this wouldn't have happened.

Though, before Sakura could go any further down that road, Itachi's door opened and an older woman walked out with Hanabi at her side. Itachi stepped out after them and bid them a farewell as Genma approached them and escorted them towards the elevator. Even from this distance, Sakura could see the tears on their faces and her heart flipped uncomfortably. "It's not fair that one person should have to go through so much," she murmured quietly as she noticed the way Hanabi was gripping her mother's hand painfully tight.

Ino smiled at her sadly. "And yet so many people do," she said. Ino threw Sakura a look she didn't understand before she quietly turned and walked back to her desk.

Silently, Sakura watched her for a moment before she turned her eyes down to her Tsunade had found her something to wear, but the material was uncomfortable and a few sizes too big for her. Sighing to herself, Sakura turned to go to the locker room and change into something more comfortable, but before she got very far she felt someone tug on her hand gently. "Sakura-san," a quiet voice said.

Slowly Sakura glanced down and she felt all her earlier sorrow and regret hit her full-force when she saw Hanabi was standing next to her. She was still wearing a pair of hospital pajamas and there was an identification bracelet on her wrist. Automatically, Sakura's heart began pounding in her chest and an uncomfortable lump formed in her stomach as she bent down to be at the girl's level. "Hey, honey," she said softly. She was afraid if she spoke too loudly her voice would crack and all of her held-back tears would fall.

"I wanted to give you this," Hanabi said quietly as she held up a folded piece of paper Sakura didn't realize she had been grasping.

Carefully Sakura took it out of her hands and looked at the front to see there was a picture of two stick-figures on the front. The shorter of the two had black hair and was holding hands with a taller one. It had pink hair. It was obvious who they were supposed to be but Hanabi had put both her name and Sakura's above their respected drawing in case there was any doubt. Inside, in child-like handwriting, there was a short statement:

 _Thank you for saving me._

Immediately Sakura felt tears spring to her eyes and the few remaining pieces of her heart seemed to crumble just a little bit more as she closed the card slowly. Then she smiled weakly at Hanabi and embraced her with her uninjured arm, careful not to wrinkle the handmade card. "You're welcome, sweetheart," Sakura whispered into her hair as she fought back the tears that had gathered in her eyes.

For a moment, Hanabi hugged her back. Then she smiled at Sakura briefly before she hurried to join her mother at the elevator. Slowly Sakura stood back up to her full height as she watched her go. The moment the elevator doors slid closed, she glanced down at the card. Her heart lurched again as the first tear fell from her eye and landed on the edge of the light blue paper. When Sakura slowly looked up from the card, her gaze immediately sought out Itachi. Surprisingly he was watching her as well and for half a second their eyes met. She saw worry furrow his brows together but before he could react, she turned away and hurried downstairs to the lab where she could hide until she finally got control over her emotions again.

Sasuke found her nearly an hour later in the backroom of the lab curled up on the plush chair in front of the computer. Her tears had mostly dried but she felt worse than before as she stared at the blank screen.

"I was wondering where you went," Sasuke said quietly as he stood in the doorway to the small room.

She didn't look at him. A long silence passed between them before she finally spoke. "Have you ever wondered when someone dies, why their friends and family are the ones said to be left behind even though they're the ones living on?" she asked.

When he didn't answer right away, she looked up at him with a mixed expression. Sasuke frowned at her before he walked into the room and pulled up a chair to sit across from her. Once he was situated, he looked at her softly but seriously. "I suppose it's because they're leaving their friends and family behind to go to a better world than this one."

Sakura slowly closed her eyes and pinched them shut for a short moment to fight off the oncoming tears before she opened them again. Her gaze fell to the desktop where she had placed the card Hanabi had given her. "I hope that little girl goes to a better place than this one."

Sasuke just watched her for a long moment without speaking. She could feel his gaze on her but she didn't look up at him. She just leaned the side of her head against the headrest as she curled up further onto the chair and stared at the front of the card.

Eventually Sasuke sighed quietly, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. "I came down to ask if you wanted any time off. With the case having been closed, and the way it did," he added quieter, "officers are going to be requesting some time off. I know how hard this entire case has been on you – especially with how you and Itachi are acting towards one another – and I wanted to be sure you go as much time off as you need," he said quietly. Sakura just listened to him without taking her eyes off the folded piece of paper. "I can give you medical leave for a week but after that it's going to have to come out of your vacation time."

Sakura nodded slightly. She hadn't taken any vacation time this year, say for twice when Itachi was finally able to take the day off. "I don't know how much vacation I have left," she murmured quietly.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Sasuke shift in his chair. "I looked before I came down. You've used all your sick days from when you were out during the case, but you also have another week and a half of paid leave. And you haven't used any unpaid time."

"So I have a month's worth of leave," Sakura concluded.

Again, Sasuke nodded.

Slowly Sakura picked her head up from the headrest to look at her best guy friend and superior. "I want to take it all," she said softly.

Sasuke's reaction was immediate. His eyes widened and surprise flashed across his face as he stared at her in disbelief. His relaxed posture suddenly tensed and he leaned forward in the chair as he realized how serious she was. "Are you sure?" he asked quickly. Then he shook his head. "I mean, why?"

Monotonously she shrugged as her eyes gazed around the dim room. Most of her things had been moved while Karin had been here during the case and to be honest, her lab didn't even look like her lab anymore. So many things were out of place or missing and she didn't even recognize most of the boxes on the shelves. The problem was this wasn't her lab anymore. Like she told Itachi earlier this morning, her profile said she was a field officer; not a forensic scientist.

And she wasn't sure she liked that anymore.

"I just want to feel the way I felt before this case," Sakura said quietly. "I'm tired of feeling angry and hurt all the time. I just want to be happy again." She sighed softly as she turned her gaze back to Sasuke. "And if that isn't possible, I'll resign when I get back."

His disbelief turned to worry instantly. Immediately he stood up and walked around the computer table to sit on the edge of it so he could see her expression clearly. "Are you sure about this?" Sasuke asked seriously.

She smiled painfully at him and shook her head sorrowfully. "No. But what else can I do?" she asked, her voice clogged with tears.

Since Sakura had been a freshman in college, she had been reading Sasuke's moods through his body language and the brief glimpses of emotion on his face. She had seen a variety from anger and annoyance to frustration and confusion; but never once had she ever seen the look of pure and utter sadness on his face before. It made her want to start crying all over again.

Eventually, Sasuke closed his eyes and sighed out his nose. "Where will you go?" he asked as he opened his eyes to look at her.

She shrugged slightly. "I don't know. Home probably. After that, I'm not sure."

The moment Sasuke's lips pulled down in a frown and his eyes narrowed in her, she felt the tears she had been fighting spring back up with renewed strength. Quietly, Sakura uncurled herself from on top of the chair and placed her hand on Sasuke's knee. "You know I love you, Sasuke," she said softly. "You were there for me after everything happened with Kiba and you've been protecting me ever since. But if I stay here, I won't be able to stay as strong as I've been pretending to be. My heart's been broken before. I can't stand to go through that again."

But she knew Sasuke was aware her heart was already broken. It had been for awhile; perhaps since the start of the case. She had just been too angry to realize it until now.

Sasuke smiled sadly as her tears fell down her face. He grabbed her hands in his and looked down at them for a long moment before he gave them a friendly squeeze. "I hope you do find what you need, Sakura," he said quietly as he slowly turned his gaze back up to her.

She matched his smile for one of her own as her tears finally completely blurred out her vision. "Thank you, Sasuke," she murmured as she quietly stood. She grabbed the card from the table next to where Sasuke was sitting before she embraced him tightly. "For everything."

They stayed like that for a long moment before Sakura pulled away. Slowly she grabbed her badge and gun from her hip before she placed both items on the desk next to him. She gave Sasuke one last sad, departing smile before she turned and walked out of the department.

* * *

The sky was dark when Sakura arrived at Tokyo's International Airport. She stepped out of the back of the cab without a word and paid the cab driver her fine and a nice tip before she grabbed her single suitcase from the curb where he had set it down for her. The inside of the airport was thankfully quiet and warm, which was a relief from the cold winds whipping around outside.

Fortunately, there were only a couple of people waiting in line to get their plane ticket when Sakura walked up to the airline counter she was taking. She quickly got her ticket and declined to check in her bag before she bid the woman a good night and continued further into the airport to the large screen that showed all the flights and their departure time. Sakura stopped in front of it with her suitcase behind her and scanned the rows of flights for her own, noting with relief that it was on time to depart in a little under two hours. She had plenty of time.

"Did you really think you'd leave without saying good-bye," a voice suddenly said behind her.

Surprised, Sakura spun around to find Ino was standing a couple of steps behind her with her arms crossed and a small frown on her face. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a deep blue shirt under her dark, knee-length, wool jacket. Her hair was pulled back and she looked as beautiful as she always did, but there was a certain look in her eyes that told Sakura she didn't feel like she looked.

"I can understand why you didn't say anything to Itachi, but not even a word to me?" she asked a little too coldly.

Sakura frowned slightly. "I'm sorry," she murmured quietly. "I was going to tell you tomorrow, but then I found a seat had opened on this flight at the last minute. I really didn't mean to leave without saying anything."

The small glare on Ino's face slowly vanished and she uncrossed her arms to stuff her hands into her pockets. "It's alright, I suppose. You know, Sasuke's not the only one who realized how much you were hurting lately," she said softly.

The corner of Sakura's mouth lifted in a small, sad smile but it quickly fell. "Sasuke told you I was leaving tonight then?"

Ino nodded. "Yeah. He also told me how long you planned on being gone." Sakura watched as a deep frown settled on her best friend's features. "I hope you end up coming back before then, Sakura. You're already going to miss Shikamaru's reaction to my pregnancy."

Sakura looked at Ino sternly. "You still haven't told him?"

The blonde woman waved her off. "It's on my list of things to do, right under saying good-bye to my best friend for a really long time."

Another frown fell across Sakura's lips. "It's only a month."

Ino crossed her arms again and she looked at her angrily to hide the tears gathering in her eyes. "And what happens after that? What happens if you're still not happy? Are you going to quit? Then the next time I see you will be much longer than a month. Who knows? Maybe you'll even leave the country this time and who knows when I'll see you again after that-."

Sakura cut off Ino's rant abruptly by embracing her tightly. She wrapped her arms around her tight enough that her shoulder began to hurt, but she didn't let go. She heard Ino sniff quietly as tears slowly leaked out of the corner of her eyes but that was all the noise she made. They hugged for another moment or so before Ino finally pulled back and wiped her eyes as Sakura blinked back her own. Forcefully, Sakura smiled at her. "I'll come back, Ino. I promise."

Ino took a deep breath before she nodded. "You better." Then her eyes turned to the large screen behind Sakura. "You should go. Security is a bitch to get through and you don't want to miss your flight."

Quietly Sakura nodded. She grasped the handle of her suitcase again and gave Ino a small smile. "I'll miss you."

Ino just smiled sadly as she nodded. Then the corners of her mouth lifted slightly. "You better bring me back a kickass souvenir."

A smiled stretched across Sakura's own face and she laughed quietly as she turned and made her way towards the security line. "I will. Bye, Ino!" she called. She felt her best friend's eyes on her until she rounded the corner and entered the line for security.

Honestly, Sakura didn't know what she was expecting to happen where she was going, but she hoped something did. The constant pain in her chest was beginning to eat away at her and she could only wonder how much more pain she could take in her life before she finally caved in. She had almost completely lost it when that little girl had given Sakura that card and she knew it was only a matter of time before the protective walls she had carefully build around herself came crumbling down and trapped her underneath.

* * *

It had been nearly three days since the end of the case and Itachi found himself just now finishing the paperwork for it. For the most part, things had been calm around the department. Nearly a dozen or so officers had requested the rest of the week off, but sense it was now Friday it hadn't been that much of an issue. The only problem was, in those three days, Itachi hadn't seen or heard from Sakura. He vaguely wondered if she had taken medical leave so her shoulder could recover but he still found it surprising there hadn't been any word from her. He could still clearly remember the look on her face after Hanabi had approached her the day the case ended. He had seen Sakura sad before, but never once had she looked so completely heartbroken and it made his chest tighten uncomfortably.

Unfortunately, Itachi had to ignore it for the time being. He had needed to finish the paperwork for the case and he didn't want to have any distractions as he tried to recover whatever he could of his relationship with her.

"Itachi."

He slowly looked up at the sound of his name and found Kisame standing in front of his desk. The older male had decided to stick around even after the end of the case to help tie up any loose ends, but at this point all that was left was the stack of paperwork sitting on his desk.

"Let me finish the rest," Kisame said calmly.

Itachi sighed quietly, but before he could voice his objection, Kisame continued: "You're exhausted and distracted. Besides, there's not that much left. Why don't you start your weekend early?"

For a long moment, Itachi stared at his friend as he weighed the options. Then he nodded as he realized he hadn't stopped thinking about Sakura since he had last seen her and it was getting harder and harder to focus on what he was reading.

With a small nod of thanks, Itachi stood from his chair and collected his things before he left. As he walked out to his car, he pulled out his cell phone and called Sakura, hoping that she would answer. Honestly, he wasn't surprised when her phone went straight to voicemail – they hadn't called each other in weeks even if it was work related. He didn't actually expect her to start talking to him now, even if he desperately wanted them to.

Sighing softly, Itachi put his phone away and decided that after he got changed out of his work clothes he would go see her. If they were to finally have their long awaited talk, he didn't want it to seem too business-like by wearing his suit and dress pants.

The moment Itachi got home, he went straight to his bedroom. Quietly, he sat on the edge of his bed and pulled off his shoes before he began to unbutton his dress shirt. He had made it through the top two buttons before he realized something was off and stopped.

Since Sakura began spending more nights at his house, she had left her phone charger on the nightstand, only now it wasn't there. Neither were the millions of hair ties she left lying around. With a sinking feeling, Itachi glanced at his dresser and slowly made his way to it. His hand hesitated on the handles of the top drawer before he pulled it open. His heart seemed to stop when he found it empty. Quickly, he pulled the next drawer below it open to find it too was empty. Hurriedly Itachi did a quick search of his room and the bathroom to find everything Sakura owned was missing. Her shampoo and conditioner were no longer in the shower, her toothbrush and face wash were missing from the counter, and the drawer she kept all of her make-up in was completely empty; it was wiped clean.

Agitated, Itachi slammed the drawer closed and rested his hands on the countertop. For a long moment, he just stared at himself through the mirror before something hanging on the wall behind him caught the corner of his eyes.

 _Her crimson nightgown._

Immediately Itachi spun around upon seeing it and walked over to the hook that was holding the material up. He reached for it and carefully pulled it off the wall as he looked at the material. Sakura would have seen this.

Quickly, Itachi hurried back into his bedroom and tossed the nightgown onto the bed before he changed out of his work clothes. Within the next five minutes, he was in his car and driving to her apartment. He parked outside the building a few minutes later and relief flooded him when he saw her car was parked in its normal spot, but he only glanced at it long enough to confirm it was hers before he brushed past in and hurried up the steps to her building.

When he reached her door, he didn't even bother knocking. He tried the handle only to find it was locked. Hurriedly, he pulled out his key and slid the deadbolt out of place before he pushed the door open and walked inside, searching for any sign of Sakura. He easily brushed through her living room and dining area as he made his way through her modest living space when he didn't see any sign of her, and continued on to her bedroom.

The moment Itachi pushed the door open, he froze.

The entire room was almost completely bare. There were a couple articles of clothing strewn over the sheets on her bed, but other than that there was nothing in the room. All her jewelry and miscellaneous items that had once been atop her dresser and desk were gone and packed into boxes in the far corner of her room. The only thing taking up the surface of her dresser now was all the pictures she had once had hanging on the walls. The entire room had practically been wiped clean.

Quickly, Itachi turned toward the wall closest to him where her closet was. He threw it open and stared in alarm when he saw there was nothing inside except for a couple of empty hangers. Slowly he dropped his arms back to his sides and glanced around the room for any clue as to where she had gone. His eyes stopped on a medium sized box on the floor next to her bed away from the others. Slightly hesitant, Itachi picked it up and placed in onto of the bed before he opened it. A hard lump formed in the pit of his stomach when he saw what was inside.

It was everything he had ever left there. There was a pair of sweats and a couple of other articles of clothing. The sweatshirt she had stolen from him nearly a year ago was folded and piled atop of the other pieces of clothing. But there was one item sitting on top that made his heart jumped into his throat and his eyes widened when he realized that Sakura wasn't just trying to push him out of her life; she already had.

Lying on top of all his clothing and other personal items was a small, white box. The box itself was rather nondescript but he would recognize it anywhere. It was the box he had handed to her for Christmas nearly two years ago. Inside was the emerald necklace he had given her; the one she wore every day.

For a long moment, he just stared at it, but then something else caught his attention. Slowly, Itachi glanced back down at the box and reached inside to pull out a familiar looking card. The front was fairly nondescript, but the words "Lots of people are thinking of you on your birthday; I just wanted to let you know I'm one of them" were written on the inside with his signature right below it.

He recognized it immediately.

It was the birthday card he had given Sakura the day she had saved him from being killed by Neji. It was the same day he had kissed her and the same day they had started their relationship. He supposed it was just a card, but with how worn it looked, Itachi guessed it was more than that to Sakura. It represented them and their commitment to one another. And it made his heart lurch painfully that it was in the box with all the rest of his things. It hurt more than the fact the house key he had given her was there.

Without another thought, Itachi dropped the birthday card onto her empty bed, snatched up the jewelry box and raced back to his car before he took off to the department. There were only a couple of people that would know where Sakura went and one of them was his brother. He didn't care what it took to get it out of Sasuke; he was going to find out where she went.

When Itachi finally reached the department again, he hurried through the lobby towards the elevator without a word to anyone. Forcefully he pressed the button to go up and waited with crossed arms until the metal doors slid open. The moment they were open wide enough for him to fit, he stepped inside, passing Temari as she stepped out. Though, when she saw it was him, she quickly turned around and followed him back in. "Superintendent General-sama," she said as she closed her phone and stopped next to him in the elevator. "I was about to call you."

Itachi barely spared her a glance as he pressed the button for the top floor. "It is important?"

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her frown. "I'm not sure," she said slowly. "I was going through the computer in the lab to print out all the paper the Kanazawa police department would need and I came across an unauthorized test. I think Sakura had run it. She had been the only one running tests on that computer the past week."

He glanced at her as she spoke before he turned his attention back to the floor numbers flashing across the screen above the doors. "What was the test?"

Temari frowned again. "I don't know. It was untitled and was surrounded by security codes. When I hacked them" – she stopped abruptly and cleared her throat slightly as the elevator doors opened and they walked out– "I mean, got passed them I found there were high amounts of uric acid, urea and traces of ions."

Itachi glanced at her as they headed towards Sasuke's office. "A urine test?"

The blonde woman nodded as Itachi stopped a couple of steps away from Sasuke's office to give her his somewhat divided attention. "Yes, but the test was on the progesterone levels."

His eyebrows drew together in confusion. "Progesterone? In urine? That sounds like a-."

"It's a pregnancy test," a voice cut in.

Immediately Itachi looked at the speaker to see Ino was standing a couple steps away. Her arms were crossed and there was a guarded look on her face as she glanced at Temari. The blonde Kanazawa officer merely nodded at Ino and bowed slightly to him before she walked away, understanding that the conversation had turned private.

The moment Temari was gone, Itachi's focus was set solely on Ino. "Sakura thought she was pregnant." It was a statement, not a question.

Ino nodded slightly but her expression didn't change. "Back when she was sick," she said monotonously. "She took a home pregnancy test and it came out positive. So when she could come back to work, she tested it again. Turns out it was a false positive."

Itachi could feel himself becoming frustrated. "Why did she not tell me?"

She just stared at him. "Why would she? I sure as hell wouldn't. It's not like you were ever there for her." Her voice took on an undertone of resentment. "I was the one who stayed with her as she cried her eyes out every night, wondering how she was going to tell you and if she even wanted to keep it. Not you."

He stared at her, taken aback. Had he really hurt her that badly that she didn't even want to keep his child? He could only imagine how she felt when he hadn't gone to see her while she was sick. No wonder she had snapped at him so harshly. He had only gone to see her when he knew something had happened to her because he felt somewhat obligated to as her boyfriend.

Suddenly, Itachi looked at Ino. "Where is she?"

Her eyebrow rose. "Do you really think I'm going to tell you?"

His frustration returned full force. "I could fire you."

Her guarded expression turned challenging. "I think you're forgetting that my friendship with Sakura is stronger than my loyalty to you as my boss."

For a moment, Itachi seriously considered suspending Ino for insubordination, but he knew that if Sakura found out, she would never forgive him. Instead, he glared at her in annoyance as a deep frown pulled the corners of his mouth down. "I need to speak with her."

Ino laughed hollowly in her throat. "You should have done that before she went home." Then she walked away.

He watched the blonde woman walk away before his gaze averted elsewhere as his thoughts raced. _Home?_ The only home he knew of that Sakura had was the one in Tokyo and the house she lived in before her parents died when she was seven.

 _Unless she went back to the people who had taken care of her while she grew up,_ he realized.

Thinking back now, he realized he had never asked her who she had lived with during her childhood. Every time they talked about her past it was either about her parents or what Ino and his brother had been like in college. She never once spoke about her teenage years and he had never asked. He had no idea who had taken care of her after her parents' deaths, but going off of what Ino had said, she was probably there now.

With a last glance back at Ino, Itachi turned away from Sasuke's office and quickly headed to his own, where he knew Kisame would no longer be. He was determined to find Sakura, even if it took him through the night and well into the next couple of days. He knew that Sakura could hide if she wanted to, but he was going to find her no matter what it cost.

But there was something he had to do first.

Pulling out his cell phone, Itachi found the contact he was looking for before he pressed the call button. The phone rang twice before the person on the other end answered. Itachi waited until he closed his office door behind him before he spoke. "I need to have a word with you. Please report to my office, Officer Inuzuka."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve  
The Confession

Winter was always Sakura's favorite time of year in Paris. She could remember as a child piling snow together and jumping into it with her adopted brother, Choji. He was a few years younger than her, but they had been best friends back when they were younger. Unfortunately since Sakura had gone back to Japan to go to college they hadn't seen each other since. It had been two weeks since Sakura had come to Paris and in that time, she had managed to get reacquainted with her adopted brother and the two most amazing people she had come to call her adopted parents after they had taken her in after her parents' deaths.

Sarutobi Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai had been Sakura's parents' best friends when they had died. She had known them her entire life and though they argued often, she knew they loved each other more than anyone. For as long as she could remember, they had been engaged and by now, she knew that they probably would never get married. After Sakura's parents had died, they had willingly taken her in and not soon after, Choji, when his own parents had been murdered in a store robbery. Soon after that, the four of them left Japan and moved to France.

During their teenage years, both Sakura and Choji had been unpredictable. They came and went as they pleased and stayed at friends' houses until well into the night. Surprisingly, Asuma and Kurenai had never once complained about either of them coming and going as they pleased. Though, Sakura suspected that was because Kurenai was unable to have her children of her own.

Even so, when Sakura had shown up unannounced two weeks ago on their front steps, she had been somewhat surprised when Asuma had held the door open for her with a warm look in his eyes. Kurenai had been just as shocked to see her, but she merely smiled and welcomed her with open arms. That had been all it took for Sakura to begin crying and she stayed in their arms for the first couple of hours or so of her visit as she told them everything that had happened to her in the past couple of months.

Three days later, Choji stopped by to visit them himself, saying he had been the next block over and decided to visit. He had stood rooted to the floor when he had seen her before he rushed over to hug her. She had smiled at him and asked him how he had been doing, which had only started a conversation between them that lasted nearly four hours. During their conversation she had learned that he was currently finishing his senior year in Graduate School. Since then, they had gone out to lunch almost nearly every day and had dinner together at their adopted parents' house almost every night.

For the first time in a long time, it felt like things were back to the way they should be. She could walk outside now and not feel like crying every time she heard a child's cry or scream of laughter. But she couldn't deny the almost constant feeling that there was a dark cloud constantly hovering over her head. As happy as she felt being with her adopted family again, she couldn't stop the feeling of sadness that had settled in her heart that kept her from being completely at ease and it was slowly eating away at her.

For the umpteenth time just that day, Sakura sighed as she turned the page in her book. She read about half a sentence before she felt someone standing over her. Slowly she peeked over the top of her book and smiled softly. _"Hey, Choji,"_ she said in French.

Her adopted brother was dressed in his barista outfit. She was currently sitting in the coffee shop he worked at a couple blocks away from Asuma and Kurenai's house and was reading the book she had brought with her as she waited for him to get off work. He still had another couple of hours until he was off, but she was content to wait. She still had another couple of chapters until she finished her book as it was.

" _Do you want any more coffee?"_ he asked. They both knew Japanese, but after hearing everyone around her speak French, Sakura had gotten used to speaking the native tongue again.

With a small smile, Sakura shook her head. _"I'm fine, thank you."_

He returned her smile for one of his own before he returned to work. She watched him leave before she returned to her book. She got through a couple of pages or so before another shadow fell across her. _"I told you, Choji, I didn't need any more coffee-."_ When she looked up and saw who was standing over her, she stopped abruptly.

 _Itachi._

Her eyes widened and all she could do was stare as he stood next to the table she was seated at and gazed down at her. His obsidian eyes pinned her in her seat and her breath caught in her throat as the blood roared through her ears. Of course, he looked simply gorgeous in his jeans and dark winter coat. There was a light dusting of snow on his shoulders and his boots, and the melted snow in his hair made it shine.

"Sakura," he said lightly.

Suddenly, all the pain and grief she had been burying in the deepest corner of her heart broke free and flooded her system. She could feel the beginning of tears prickling at the corners of her eyes and her heart pounded painfully against her ribcage but she swallowed and took a deep breath and forced them back as she met his gaze as evenly as she could. "Superintendent General-sama."

For a short second, she saw the corners of his mouth pull down in a frown but it was gone so quickly she barely saw it. There was a look in his eyes that told her he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut as his eyes flickered next to her.

Slowly, she tore her gaze away from him to see Choji had returned to her side. She watched as he glanced at Itachi before he looked at her with a fake smile on his face. _"Is everything alright?"_ he asked.

Even with her head turned, she could feel Itachi's gaze and she nodded shortly at her adopted brother. _"Yeah, fine,"_ she said quickly. Even though she knew Itachi couldn't speak French, she still felt weird speaking about him as if he wasn't there. _"I'm going back to the house,"_ she said as she closed her book and pulled out enough euros to cover the few coffee drinks she had ordered. _"I'll see you later."_

Choji glanced at Itachi briefly before he nodded. Without a word, he picked up her winter jacket for her and held it out for her. She smiled at him quickly before she grabbed it from him and pulled it on. Then she collected her book and scarf before she took off into the white-covered streets and snow-filled air with Itachi right behind her like a dark shadow.

The frozen air bit at her face but she ignored it as she hurried down the streets towards her adopted parents' house. Not even halfway down the block, she could feel her heart begin to beat rapidly and tears threaten to blur her eyes. She tried to ignore Itachi, but she could feel his presence right behind her and it was beginning to make her feel weak mentally. She hadn't been this close to him in a long time and it was making her feel defensive.

Abruptly, Sakura stopped and spun around to face him. "Why are you even here?" she snapped as she crossed her arms to protect herself from the cold.

Itachi stopped in front of her but his expression never changed from its carefully blank expression. "You left without saying a word to me."

Her defensive glare deepened. "So?"

When he remained silent, Sakura finally had the time to take her first clear look at him. She could see the stress lines on his face had deepened since the last time she seen him and there was the start of circles under his eyes. For a moment, her heart went out to him and the urge to reach out to him almost overwhelmed her, but she forced herself not to react as the biting winds whipped at her hair and face.

Unconsciously, her arms tightened around herself as he continued the stare at her. She could feel the silence beginning to thicken around them. Eventually Itachi took a small step towards her as he reached for her. "Since when did you stop talking to me, Sakura?"

Suddenly, the sympathy she felt towards him vanished and she jerked away from his reaching hand. Her expression turned angry to hide the pain ripping through her chest and she ground her teeth together. "Since you stopping listening," she snapped. Then she spun on her heels and continued until she reached the front steps of her adopted parents' house.

Hurriedly she rushed up the few stairs and tried the door. When she found it locked, she quickly shifted her book to her other hand and fished out her key before she jammed it into the lock. The moment she heard the deadbolt slide out, she pushed the door open and hurried inside. Quickly, she turned around to close the door only to find Itachi had smoothly slipped inside after her. A loud sigh escaped her but she didn't say anything as she slammed the door closed behind him. Then she turned down the hall and marched up the stairs to the spare bedroom, not caring whether Itachi was following her or not.

Once inside the room, she tossed her book and key down onto the dresser and pulled her jacket off before she threw it atop her bed. She turned her attention to her boots next and yanked them off with some difficulty. Lost in her own anger and pain, Sakura didn't notice Itachi enter the room as she grabbed her jacket again and walked to the closet to hang it up. When she turned around again, she found herself face-to-face with him. She stopped short and glanced up at him with a guarded look. "What?" she snapped.

"We need to talk," Itachi said softly as he reached out for her.

Before he could touch her, Sakura jerked back and pointed a finger threateningly at him. "Don't touch me!"

Itachi sighed quietly and she saw some deep pain flash through his eyes – something she had never seen before – but she quickly looked away to hide her own grief as she squeezed passed him. She turned her attention to the clothes she had littered around the room and distractedly began picking them up.

"Sakura," Itachi said softly, "we need to talk."

She closed her eyes briefly before she continued with what she was doing. "Now you want to talk? You're about three months late, Itachi," she said. Her voice was casual but there was an undeniable undertone of anger in her words.

"I know," he said just as softly as before. Sakura didn't look at him but she could hear the regret laced in his voice. "This case was stressful on everyone, especially you, but it was my job to-."

"Well maybe I'm sick of your job!" she retorted sharply as she spun around to face him. She hadn't meant for the words to slip out, but after everything she had gone through, she was tired of thinking everything through. A part of her didn't care if he got hurt; he had hurt her so badly that now she was lashing out in reflex. "Mine too."

Itachi's eyes widened slightly and Sakura quickly turned away. She distracted herself with folding her clothes and throwing them back into her open suitcase on the floor at the foot of her bed. "You want to quit," he stated slowly.

Sakura took a deep breath and gripped the bed frame tightly as she tried to keep control over her emotions. "I was considering it."

She heard Itachi take a heavy step towards her. "Were you even going to tell me?" he said darkly. The sudden angry tone in his voice startled her.

Quickly she turned around to see there was an irritated look on his face that darkened his features. She matched his anger with her own as she crossed her arms and glared at him. "Why should I? You don't listen to me."

He shook his head slightly. "You keep saying that I do not listen to you. You are the one who stopped talking to me."

"You're blaming me?" she snapped. She uncrossed her arms to clench her hands into fists at her sides. "You're the one who accused me of fucking someone else!"

She watched as the anger on his face faded a fraction and his tense frame relaxed slightly. He glanced down for a moment before he met her gaze again. "I do deeply regret that, Sakura. I sincerely apologize for accusing you of having an affair. I was so terribly wrong."

The regret in his voice wanted to make her forget her anger, but she desperately clung to it. "That doesn't change the fact that you still did it," she said quietly, furiously. "I thought you knew me better than that."

She watched as the regret in his eyes disappeared to be replaced by frustration once more. "I thought I did too," he said stiffly. "Engaged to be married." He shook his head slightly. "You didn't even get rid of the ring."

Her eyes widened. _How did he know that?_ she thought.

He seemed to sense her confusion for he answered her: "I saw the receipt for the Pawn Shop on your table when you were sick."

She swallowed thickly when she saw the accusation in his eyes. "It's not what you think," she said slowly.

Itachi just looked at her. "Then tell me. I'm listening now," he said almost sarcastically.

A long silence stretched out between them and Sakura chewed on her bottom lip when she realized she had no way out of this. Itachi wanted an answer and the hard look in his eyes told her he was going to get one whether she wanted to tell him or not. Taking a deep breath, Sakura started slowly: "When I came to Japan I threw the ring in the bottom of my make-up bag. There's a small tear in the bottom and so I shoved it inside so I wouldn't have to look at it. After awhile I stopped thinking about it constantly, and after we started dating I forgot about it completely." She looked at him honestly. "I wasn't trying to hide it from you. I just didn't remember."

His expression stayed as blank as before. "You left out the ring," he said slowly. "And the fact that you were engaged to be married. You've lied to me, Sakura. You even left out the fact that Inuzuka used to abuse you."

Sakura's eyes widened. He wasn't supposed to know that. How the hell did he even know that? Had Sasuke really told him everything? She was right before; there really was no one she could trust.

Slowly she shook her head. "That's none of your business," she said stiffly.

Itachi threw her a look. "Sakura, he used to put you in the hospital."

A glare crossed her face as she crossed her arms once more. "Yeah, I know. I was there." She left out the part where she didn't remember it exactly. He didn't need to know just how bad it was.

For a long moment they just stared at each other. Itachi's eyes burned into hers but she didn't back down. It was her life and if she chose to keep her darker secrets from him that was her choice.

Eventually Itachi breathed out his nose loudly. He obviously wasn't satisfied with her answer, but he didn't push. He was angry, but he knew it was a sensitive topic to her. "Where do we go from here?" he finally asked.

Her glare didn't leave her face. "You came after me," she stated sharply.

A look of surprise flashed across his face but it quickly faded as annoyance shown through. "If you're implying that you're unaffected by this, I know you're lying," he said coldly. Then his expression softened but just barely. "Why did you leave?"

Sakura forcefully kept the glare on her face. She wanted to be angry and pissed off, but through the annoyance and frustration and regret in his eyes she could see the sadness. Earlier when they had stopped in the middle of the street she had seen how badly he was hurting and though she tried as hard as she could to ignore it now, she could see the stress on his face and the suffering he was going through. As much as she hated to admit it, he was hurting just as badly as she was.

"You obviously didn't care," she said as fiercely as she could. "I thought it would just be easier to leave."

Itachi shook his head. "Can you really push me aside so easily?"

In her heart, she was screaming out no, but she was so used to protecting herself that she managed to keep her expression even. "It doesn't matter anymore," she replied calmly.

Suddenly Itachi's eyes narrowed and he glared at her as his eyes hardened. "Like hell it doesn't!" he snapped.

Taken aback by his sudden outburst, Sakura took a step away from him. Her eyes widened at his sudden anger and she stared at him in surprise as his frustration seemed to thicken the air around them.

"You cannot push me aside because I made one mistake," he said angrily. "Yes, it started an enormous fight between us, but you cannot just run away."

"Why not?" she snapped. "You even said yourself that your work is more important."

Surprisingly, her comment only made him angrier. "That is not what I meant and you know it."

"No it isn't!" Sakura yelled. "How the hell am I supposed to know? You filed me in priority! You told me that we would talk after the case. I shouldn't have to wait that long!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

Her sudden outburst made Itachi hesitate. Then he nodded. "And I agree," he said. His voice quieted from their yelling but only by a couple of notches. "But there was nothing I could do. I could not split my attention from the case and you know that. When we did finally talk, I wanted to be able to give you my full attention and not have to worry about someone calling me about the case."

Sakura was quiet for a long moment. She just watched him as his eyes stared at her with a hardness she almost didn't recognize. The only time he ever stared at her like that was when he had been mad at her in the past from working through the night, and even then they weren't this cold.

Eventually she shook her head. "It's too late, Itachi," she said even as the words broke her heart. What she really wanted was for him to leave so she could curl into a ball and cry her eyes out. It felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest and the grief was threatening to finally push the tears she had been holding back to the surface.

But the look he sent her told her he didn't believe her. Instead his eyes narrowed again and he clenched his hands into fists at his sides as he became angrier than Sakura had ever seen him before. "Damnit, Sakura! You can't keep pushing everyone you love away!" he snapped.

She stared at him, taken aback. He couldn't possibly mean what he was implying. Though, from the look on his face he meant exactly what he said and that sent tears straight to her eyes. Her breath caught in her chest and for a moment, she stared at him with wide, watery eyes. And before he could continue, she corrected him. "If you're referring to Kiba, I didn't love him!" she retorted weaker than she meant to.

Itachi shook his head as if he didn't believe her. "How do you know, Sakura?" he contradicted. "How do you know you did not love him? You would have stayed with him if it was not for the fact you found him in bed with another woman! So tell me, what makes you think you did not have feelings for him?"

Sakura felt the last piece of her façade crumble away. "Because I didn't know what it felt like until I loved you!" she shouted.

As soon as the words slipped out, her emotions got the better of her. She didn't know if she should be angry or sad, and the confusion of it all made her tears finally slip out of her eyes. Her heart was so broken it physically hurt and her head ached from constantly shouting, but she didn't want Itachi to see her like this. This was why she had wanted him to leave.

Quickly she turned her back to Itachi so he couldn't see her as her tears fell heavily from her eyes. Sadly, Sakura closed her eyes and wiped at the tears on her checks as they fell down her face. Honestly, she felt pathetic, but all she could do was stand in the middle of the room with a hand to her face to wipe the endless amount of tears falling from her eyes as she sobbed.

A short moment later, she felt Itachi touch her shoulder gently and she slowly turned to face him as his arms slid around her shoulders to engulf her in his comforting warmth. For the first time in months she desperately welcomed his touch. She clung to him as her fingers grasped his shirt until her knuckles were white. His own hands were almost rough in their movements as his hands ran across her back and held her so tightly against him she could barely breathe.

In the back of her mind, she felt a certain warmth fill her at finally being back in his arms. She didn't know if he was just comforting her or if this was going to be the beginning of their new relationship, but right now, she didn't care. She was being held by the man she loved with all her heart and she was happy with that for now. She didn't need any more than this. And it didn't matter that she was smearing her mascara all over her face and on his jacket or that his fingers were digging into her ribs so painfully hard that there were probably going to be bruises on her skin later because in the chaos of everything, this moment was perfect.

And then Itachi's hand moved up her back and to her neck to tangle his fingers into her hair. Some long-forgotten instinct made her push herself onto her toes and tilted her chin up as she desperately grasped the front of Itachi's shirt to pull his face down to hers. Their lips crashed together painfully but Sakura didn't pause as she opened her mouth and forced her tongue between his lips. His fingers tightened painfully in her pink locks, but she ignored it as his own tongue battled fiercely with hers. Her hands went to the buttons of his jacket and she quickly unfastened them before she nearly tore it off his body.

Once the offending material was gone, Sakura skipped his shirt completely and went straight to the button on his pants. His own hands moved roughly against her mostly clothed body, ignoring the zipper of her sweater and moving to unbutton her jeans. He quickly jerked them down her legs and she stepped out of them as she pushed Itachi down onto the bed, causing their lips to finally part as he stumbled backwards. Sakura was already panting from the intense kiss but she didn't stop to catch her breath. Instead, she tore off his jeans just as quickly, pulling his boots off at the same time. Then she climbed on top of him and crushed her lips back down onto his just before he rolled them over and pinned her to the bed.

Neither of them cared for foreplay nor wanted it as they both grasped at one another roughly. Itachi's lips travelled down her throat and he bit down hard enough to make her cry out sharply, though she wasn't entirely sure if it was out of pleasure or pain. Her fingers dug into his clothed shoulders and a sharp gasp escaped her as Itachi pulled her panties aside and pushed two fingers into her. Their rough touching had turned her on so much that his fingers easily slid into her and she began thrashing under him as he pumped his fingers inside her. Her moans echoed around the room, only for them to end abruptly in a short groan of protest a moment later when he pulled his fingers out.

Through hooded eyes she watched as he pushed a few pieces of stubborn material out of the way before he grabbed her thigh and hoisted it onto his hip. The moment he thrust inside her, she cried out loudly and grasped the sheets below her in a death grip. She pinched her eyes shut and arched her back sharply as Itachi started a hard, fast pace she could barely keep up with. His fingers dug into her hips and the slight pain only added to her pleasure as Itachi leaned down and pressed his lips down onto hers in a bruising kiss. She returned it as passionately as she could as her tongue met his.

Their tongues fought back and forth in a lustful battle, but eventually Sakura tore her mouth away from his to moan loudly. It had been so long since the last time they had been together that she felt her climax approach rapidly and she couldn't stop the loud cries of pleasure that escaped her lips as he repeatedly hilted himself inside her roughly and his teeth nipped at the sensitive flesh of her throat.

When her climax finally hit her, she felt her muscles tense to the point of almost pain as she screamed out her pleasure. Frantically she clawed at the bedding below her as she tried to keep some grasp on reality but everything fell away as the pleasure burned her vision white. Her climax seemed to last forever and yet not long enough, and by the time she came down from her high, Itachi was just giving his final thrust before he spilled his seed into her with a low groan against her throat. The moment his tense muscles relaxed, he pulled out and collapsed onto the bed next to her.

Tiredly, Sakura slid her eyes shut and she closed her shaking thighs only to grimace when she found her panties were completely soiled, though she didn't move to take them off. She was still panting hard and her limps felt much too heavy and weak to move as the beginning of bruises began to form on her hips.

A long silence engulfed the room as both of them tried to figure out what had just exactly happened and how. They had just fucked. And yes, Sakura was calling it that because there was no other name for it. What they had just done was unspeakable for them. They may have had rough sex before, but that's what it was: sex, not fucking. Never once had they ever been so desperate or frantic as they had just been. It was startling and even more frightening to know that she needed him that badly. Their coupling almost made her feel dirty and not in the physical sense. Yes, she was covered in sweat and her thighs were coated in both of their arousal, but what they had just done was nasty and dirty, and for some strange reason, it made her want to laugh ironically.

But before she could, she heard Itachi sighed through his nose. "Was that our make-up sex?" he asked somewhat amused.

Sakura snorted quietly but the sound quickly faded as her odd amusement vanished. Slowly she opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling blankly. "I don't know," she murmured quietly. "I haven't forgiven you."

Her eyes turned towards Itachi to see his reaction as he shifted to look at her, but he gave no hint as to what he was thinking. "I have not forgiven you either," he murmured, his expression clear but serious.

She stared at him in surprise. "For what?" she asked in confusion.

Itachi just looked at her. "For pushing me away, for purposely placing yourself in danger, and for not telling me you thought you were pregnant."

Sakura's eyes widened for a moment before she looked away guiltily and pushed herself into a sitting position. Her heart began to pound in her chest and for a moment, the nervousness and anxiety she felt during that horrible week returned. "How did you find out about that?" she asked quietly without looking at him.

She felt Itachi sit up slowly next to her but she didn't turn to look at him. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know his reaction. "Temari-san found an unauthorized test on your computer," he replied quietly. His smooth voice calmed her somewhat, but she didn't know if her voice was steady enough to speak so she remained silent. Next to her, she heard Itachi shift slightly before his hand glided across her back lightly. "Why did you not tell me?" he asked softly.

Slowly, Sakura turned to look at him as a feeling of helplessness overcame her and it reflected in her expression. "I didn't know how to," she murmured, nearly in tears. "I wanted to tell you, but I just couldn't find the courage with us constantly fighting." She sniffed quietly. "Then I found out it was a false positive and so I didn't think it was that important anymore."

Itachi was quiet as he wrapped his arms around her and carefully pulled her down onto the bed with him. "You should have told me anyway," he said softly, his voice not at all resentful.

Sakura sniffed again and wiped her tears away as she settled against him. She murmured a quiet apology and turned in his hold as he ran his hand over her clothed side. When his hand reached her hip, he gently released his grasp on her and sat up to pull her panties off before doing the same thing with his boxers, which he had yanked partially down his hips earlier. Then he leaned over her and unzipped her sweatshirt before he helped her slip out of it, leaving her in just her tank top. His lips pressed against herself briefly before he pulled back to look at her shoulder. He brushed his fingers over the forming scar carefully. "Does it hurt?" he asked quietly.

She shook her head slightly. "Not so much anymore," she murmured. Then she gently grabbed Itachi's shirt and pulled him down to lay next to her. Once he was comfortable, she curled into his side and rested her head on his shoulder tiredly. "I really missed you, Itachi," she said quietly.

His fingers brushed through her hair and he turned his face into her pink locks as his other hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer. "It was hard to sleep at night without you," he replied just as softly.

Quietly, Sakura lifted her chin and smiled sadly at him as he leaned down to kiss her. She sighed softly as his tongue slipped into her mouth and slowly moved with hers. When he rolled on top of her and gently pressed his weight down on her, she felt her heart swell in her chest as he moved his lips lovingly against her. Slowly she slid her hands up his shoulders to hook behind his neck as his own fingers twisted into her pink locks. A quiet moan escaped her as he slanted his mouth more fully against hers and she tried to deepen their kiss, but Itachi merely pulled away to slant his mouth the other way before continuing his languid pace.

Once Itachi was sure he had completely ravished her mouth, he finally pulled back, wiping the moisture from her lips on the way. She opened her eyes slowly and smiled softly when she saw he was staring down at her. He matched her smile for a small one of his own. Then he laid down next to her, pulling her against him. Sakura didn't resist. She settled her head against his shoulder again and closed her eyes tiredly as Itachi sighed softly.

Strangely enough, even though Sakura was embarrassed about what they had done only a couple of minutes earlier, she was glad they had done it. Everyone she knew had always said that sex didn't solve anything in a relationship, but after the quickie they had just had, she was convinced that it did solve some things. In the past three or so months, the two of them had gone through a lot. It was true that they hadn't forgiven each other and it was going to take awhile for them to sort everything out, but at the moment, she was more than content with how things were. She missed lying in Itachi's arms and from the way, his fingers were still playing with her hair and his other hand kept pulling her closer, she assumed he had missed her company as well.

Sakura had been being honest earlier when she said she loved Itachi. She hadn't been sure about it before, but after all the pain and heartbreak she went through before, there was no doubt in her mind. She was completely, irrefutably, and _contentedly_ in love with Uchiha Itachi, and if he was the last man she were to ever love, she would be perfectly okay with that. But as sure as she was in her mind about it, she didn't know if he knew she felt that way.

Though, at this very moment, Sakura was far too content to bother breaking the comfortable silence that had settled between them. Unfortunately, just as the two of them began drifting off to sleep, Sakura heard the front door open as the voices of her adopted parents filled the air.

Sighing softly, Sakura forced herself to open her eyes and sit up. She looked down at Itachi as he too blinked his eyes open before he fixed his gaze on her. A soft smile graced her lips and she leaned down to briefly kiss him before she stood from the bed, grimacing when she realized her thighs were still wet. Then she bent down to retrieve a pair of panties from her suitcase before she slipped them on.

Once she was mostly decent, she did a quick search for Itachi's clothing before she tossed them at him. She hadn't realized he had closed his eyes again until his clothes landed on his legs and he blinked them open slowly again. He looked at her tiredly and she frowned slightly when she realized he had probably just gotten off his flight before he had found her at the coffee shop. No wonder he looked so exhausted.

Sighing softly, Sakura sat on the edge of the bed and tangled their fingers together. "We need to get up," she murmured softly. "If my adopted parents see me in bed with a man they don't know in their spare bedroom, I don't think it'll go down very well."

A small smirk turned the corners of his lips up. "As entertaining as your embarrassment would be, I agree," he replied before he sat up to kiss her.

When he pulled back, Sakura glared at him playfully, but her good mood quickly made her lips turn up into a smile as she shook her head lightly. Once she was sure he was going to get up, she released his hand to allow him to get dressed before she finished getting dressed herself. She pulled her jeans on and found the sweatshirt Itachi had pulled off her earlier before she turned to him. When she saw he was waiting for her, she smiled and held her hand out for him.

He just stared at her.

When he didn't move towards her, Sakura slowly dropped her hand back to her side and stared at him in confusion and worry. "Itachi? Is something wrong?"

In the back of her mind, she knew that probably wasn't the best way to ask that question; at the moment, so many things were wrong. But she stood still as she waited for Itachi to make the next move.

Eventually, he turned away from her. Sakura just stood as quietly as before as he turned towards his jacket and picked it up off the floor. Confused, she watched as he pulled something out of the inner pocket before he threw his jacket onto her bed and turned to her. Her eyes widened when she saw the little, white box in his hands.

Immediately her eyes shot up to meet his. "Itachi, I-."

He cut her off with a sweet kiss. When he pulled back, he carefully opened the box in his hand and pulled out her emerald necklace. Her eyes automatically filled with tears and she closed them as Itachi clasped the necklace around her neck. A moment later, she felt his lips press against her forehead softly. "I love you too, Sakura," he murmured.

When he pulled back, she opened her eyes again and the unguarded look on his face told her that he meant what he had said with all his heart. Her tears quietly streaked down her face and she touched the small emerald as a bright smile crossed her face. Itachi's open expression didn't change as he wiped her tears away before he held his hand out for her. She took it without a word. Then Itachi opened the door and together they started downstairs to greet her adopted parents.

Asuma and Kurenai were in the kitchen unpacking groceries when Sakura walked in with Itachi behind her. They turned to her with a smile only to stop abruptly when they saw she wasn't alone. Silence briefly filled the kitchen before Sakura cleared her throat. "Kurenai, Asuma, this is my boyfriend, Uchiha Itachi," she said.

She saw their eyes widen in recognition and shock, but her smile didn't fade as she realized that yes, Itachi was her boyfriend. And she was never going to turn her back on him ever again.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen  
The Proposal

It had been nearly three hours since Itachi had met the people Sakura had come to call her second family and in that time, he had learned more about Sakura's childhood than he had in their entire relationship. He had learned how she came to live in France and how she had returned to Japan for college. Her mother of sorts, Kurenai, told him how Sakura had gotten into more trouble than any child should have in her teenage years and how she easily sweet-talked her way out every time.

When Itachi had glanced at Sakura knowingly upon this knowledge – mostly because she did the same thing at work – she had merely smiled slyly and claimed that she never did such a thing. Itachi had snorted lightly, but before Sakura could retort, her adopted brother, Choji, joined them. Their conversation had resumed over dinner before they retreated back to the living room.

They had talked about everything from Sakura's parents and childhood to the case the department had just closed. Itachi had listened to Sakura as she told the story, but he hadn't commented on the fact that she had purposely left out their fight during the entire thing. Other than that they had told them practically everything. Afterwards, they had turned their discussion to trivial things, but he could tell Sakura was only half listening.

Sometime during their conversation, she had leaned against him and curled her feet on the couch. He had moved his arm so she could rest her head more comfortably against his shoulder and it wasn't long before her eyes began threatening to close. He felt much the same way, but he didn't show it as visibly as her. After they had been intimate earlier, Itachi had been ready to lie with her and sleep for a couple of hours. He had just dropped his own suitcase at a hotel near the airport before he left to find her. After repeatedly arguing with Sasuke, he had managed to force some information out of Sasuke. His younger sibling had told him that she would most likely be with her adopted brother and after some coercion Sasuke had given him his cell phone number to which he had tracked to the coffee shop where he found Sakura.

Honestly, he had been surprised when he found Sakura. She had looked so relaxed and at ease reading he had wondered if she was hurting as much as he was at all. But as he got closer, he could see the circles under her eyes and the way her emerald eyes were dark in sadness. His chest had constricted uncomfortably and the look on her face when she had finally looked up had only made the pain worse. She had looked as if she had wanted to be anywhere but there – away from him. On the inside, the entire yelling match between them on their way back to her adopted parents' house and in her bedroom had torn him apart. Seeing her with so much raw emotion on her face had literally made it feel like his heart was trying to rip itself out of his chest and when she yelled that she loved him before she broke down into heart wrenching tears, he had reacted on instinct and held her as tightly as he could.

The moment she had begun pulling at his clothes, he had just followed her lead. Their intimacy had been desperate and frantic, but the fact that he was able to touch her again – feel her skin against his own – was enough for him to lose himself in her quickly. Lying with her afterwards had been even better than their quick engagement and he had been disappointed when he had heard the front door open before voices filled the air downstairs. But he had wanted to meet the people who had brought her up after her parents' deaths and somewhat reluctantly, he had gotten up and followed her downstairs.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he heard Sakura yawn. His attention turned to her when she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position and rubbed her eyes tiredly. "I think I'm going to go to bed," she murmured before she turned to look at him. "Do you want to join me?"

Itachi raised his hand and brushed her hair away from her shoulder as he shook his head. "I am going to stay down here for a bit longer, but I will join you soon."

A smile graced her face and she leaned over to kiss him briefly before she stood and made her usually "good-night" rounds to the rest of her family. They individually wished her a good night before she made her way back up the stairs towards the bedroom. The moment Itachi heard the bedroom door close, he sat forward on the couch and directed his attention to her adopted parents with a serious expression. "I have something I need to discuss with you," he began.

* * *

When Itachi entered the bedroom Sakura was staying in, he found her asleep with the covers around her middle. She was lying on her side with one arm under her pillow and the other on the bed in front of her chest. A small, rare smile crossed his face at her adorable expression and relaxed position before he closed the door behind him as quietly as he could.

Unfortunately the moment the door clicked shut, Sakura stirred and blinked her eyes open. When she caught sight of him, she smiled tiredly and sat up. "You were down there for awhile," she said with a glance at the clock.

"I got caught up in a conversation with your family," Itachi said as he turned his attention to the buttons of his shirt. He easily worked the material off his shoulders before he tossed it on the ground near her suitcase.

He then moved to unbutton his pants but stopped when Sakura moved to the edge of the bed and beckoned him towards her. Slowly he walked over to her and watched her as she slipped her fingers through the belt loops of his pants to pull him closer. When he was standing between her legs, she unzipped the front of his pants and unbuttoned them before she stood up. He backed up a little to allow her room to stand but she quickly moved past him and dug through her suitcase until she found what she was looking for. He just watched her as she turned around with a couple articles of clothing in her hands. "Here," she murmured as she handed them to him.

Itachi took them from her offered hands without a word and unfolded them to find it was a pair of his boxers and one of his many t-shirts he usually wore to bed. When he realized what they were, his gaze turned to her. Perhaps she hadn't completely pushed him out of her life like he had originally believed. "You have my clothing?"

Her eyes were downcast as she sat on the edge of her bed and played with the hem of her tank top as she unconsciously crossed her bare legs. "The first couple of nights here were really hard," she whispered. "I thought that maybe if I wore them to bed I would be able to sleep better. It helped…some."

At her comment, Itachi slowly reached for her and grabbed her chin to tilt it up so he could place a light kiss to her lips. When he pulled away, she was smiling softly. Then she nodded towards the attached bathroom. "There's an extra toothbrush in the drawer. Kurenai always keeps some in there just in case she has a friend stay the night unexpectedly."

Itachi nodded and changed into the clothes she handed him before he followed the direction of her nod. He didn't bother turning on the lights when he walked into the bathroom, his eyes having adjusted to the dim lighting awhile ago. He managed to find an unopened toothbrush in the drawer she had told him and he quickly brushed his teeth and pulled his hair out of its usual holder before he returned to the bedroom to join her.

When he walked back out of the bathroom, he found Sakura had crawled under the covers again but her eyes were open and she was waiting for him. Silently he climbed under the blankets next to her and his heart swelled when she welcomed him with open arms and a soft kiss. He returned it briefly as they fell back against sheets with his arms around her. There was a soft smile on her face when they pulled back and his own lips curved upwards when he felt her settle against his side and rest her head on his shoulder. His arms wrapped around her middle and pulled her closer before he rested his chin on the top of her head. Tiredly, he closed his eyes and breathed in her scent as silence filled the air.

The quiet around them only lasted for a few seconds though before Sakura sighed. Slowly she lifted her head from his shoulder and turned in his arms to rest her arms on his chest. He gazed at her when she shifted and watched her through cracked eyes as she prop her chin on her arms and stared at him thoughtfully and somewhat uncertainly. "I was thinking about something tonight," she began slowly. "And don't get mad at me until I finish."

Slowly Itachi nodded but a small frown was beginning to cause a slight crease in his forehead. He didn't like the sound of where this conversation was going to go, but he kept his thoughts to himself for now and waited patiently for her to speak.

"I think that if we're going to keep our relationship, we should stop working together," she began slowly.

Immediately Itachi frowned and pushed himself into a sitting position, forcing Sakura to sit up as well, but he kept his silence for her to continue. It was another moment before she found her voice. "I was thinking about everything that happened during the case. I broke protocol constantly, I smashed in Kiba's headlights and I got into a fight with him. You could have fired me." She turned her gaze to him. "You should have fired me. Multiple times. I don't think it's healthy for our personal or work relationship for us to work together while in a relationship anymore."

Itachi knew he had promised her he would wait until she was finished speaking, but he couldn't hold back his own opinions any longer. "No," he said before she could continue. "I refuse to choose between you being my lover or my field agent and forensic scientist. I care deeply for you, Sakura, and you are too intelligent for me to allow you to just leave the department." He paused for a moment as he remembered his earlier conversation with Kisame. "I believe you acted as you did during this case because of Officer Inuzuka and I have personally seen to it that he never bothers you again."

Through the dark, he saw Sakura's eyes narrow suspiciously. "What did you do?" she asked uncertainly.

"I had him reactivated for duty in the military," Itachi said casually, though there was a hard undertone in his voice. "I made him aware that if he wished to act out violently against others, the best place for him to be is the military. His superiors have already sent him overseas."

For a long moment Sakura just stared at him with wide eyes. Sometimes she forgot just how powerful Itachi was and how frightening he could be when provoked. He had thrown Kiba out of the country and back into the military where he might be killed in a training accident or war. She would never see him again, and Itachi had done it for her. He was protecting her.

Slowly, Sakura's gaze softened and she smiled at him delicately. "Thank you," she murmured softly.

Itachi matched her smile with a gentle expression as he placed an arm around her and pulled her closer. For a long moment, he just held her but eventually he pulled back to look down at her. "I do have one request though."

Sakura looked up at him curiously.

"I ask that you stay out of the field until your shoulder is completely healed," he said slowly.

Surprisingly Sakura pulled away from him. Her gaze was downcast as she sat back and played with the sheets absentmindedly. Immediately Itachi's eyes narrowed in worry. "Sakura?" he questioned softly.

She shook her head slowly and his heart jumped slightly when he saw there were tears in her eyes. "I don't want to work in the field anymore." Slowly her gaze turned up to him. "She died on me…just like that."

Carefully, Itachi reached out to her, but she turned away from him and stood from the bed. He just watched silently as she crossed the room and grabbed something out of the bottom of a small pile of papers. When she returned to the bed, she stared at the folded paper for a long moment before silently passing it to him. Confused, Itachi's eyes silently travelled over the child-like stick figures and the names above them before he opened it. Inside read: _Thank you for saving me._

Immediately he knew who this was from and his eyes slowly travelled back to Sakura to see she was staring at the sheets with tears silently running down her face. Without a word, Itachi placed the letter on the nightstand next to the bed and took her into his arms. She settled against him without resistance and buried her face into his neck as he laid them back down onto the bed.

With only the sounds of Sakura's quiet sniffing filling the silence, Itachi ran his hand up and down her back in a way he knew calmed her. She clung to him tightly as her tears fell against his skin and ran down his neck.

After awhile, Itachi began hushing her soothingly. He picked her head up from his shoulder so he could look down at her before he placed soft kisses to her face. "It's alright, Sakura," he murmured tenderly. "You do not have to go back into the field. Your job has always been forensics."

She sniffed again and looked up at him as she wiped away her tears with the palm of her hand. "What about Karin?"

Itachi took a deep breath as he looked up at the ceiling. "Shisui, Sasuke and I have reviewed her performance and agreed that though she gets her work done, her irregular attendance is unacceptable. We have given her a two week notice to find employment elsewhere."

Unsurprisingly, Sakura's eyes widened. "So the lab would be…"

"All yours," Itachi finished. He glanced down at her and turned his body more fully towards hers to cradle her closer. "That is one of the reasons I ask you not to quit your job. You are the best forensic scientist the department has ever had and if you do decide to quit we will have to find another to take your job."

He watched as Sakura slowly turned in his grasp with a thoughtful expression on her face. He waited as she wore the side of her bottom lip between her teeth. Eventually she released it and looked up at him with her eyes filled with determination. "Fine," she said. "I will keep my job under one condition."

Itachi looked at her expectantly.

"We keep our work completely separate from our personal life," she stated. "That means no work at home unless strictly necessary and no flirting or sex in your office or anywhere in the department."

He stared at her for another long moment before he nodded. "Though I do not agree with not having sex in my office, alright."

Sakura rolled her eyes at him, but she knew he was only being half-serious. A bright smile lit up her face and she watched as Itachi returned it for one of his own, but it slowly faded as his mind began moving again. There was one thing he still didn't understand and his curiosity was quickly beginning to get the better of him. Without a word, Itachi rested his hands on her hips and pulled her closer. "There is one thing I still do not understand," he said slowly. Sakura looked at him curiously. "When you moved everything out of my house, you did not take everything," he murmured quietly. "Why did you leave your nightgown?"

He watched as Sakura looked away for a moment. A series of expressions crossed her face but when she turned back to look at him, her face was unreadable. "Who else was I going to wear it for?"

For a long moment Itachi stared at her. Then he cupped the back of her neck and pulled her forward to kiss her deeply. He wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her on top of him as he deepened the kiss. His tongue slipped between her lips only to be greeted with her own before they playfully moved against one another. He could feel her heart rate speed up as his did and his hand slipped under her tank top to move up her back.

Only once they were both panting for air, did they finally pull away from one another. Sakura rested her forehead against his and smiled as her hands rested on the pillow next to his head. "I'm glad you found me, Itachi," she murmured quietly. "I left because I didn't think we could salvage what was left of our relationship. I figured if I left it would just be easier." His hand moved to her face when he noticed the start of tears in her eyes but he didn't speak as she continued: "I'm guessing Sasuke told you about my past relationship with Kiba, and I wasn't lying earlier when I said I never loved him." She took a deep breath and placed a quick kiss to his lips before she continued. "I didn't know what it was like to be loved and to love until you came into my life, Itachi."

For a long moment, Itachi merely watched the open expression on Sakura's face before he reached up with his other hand to caress her face. His hands ran over her pale cheeks and damp eyelashes before they moved down her nose to her full lips. Gently, his thumb smoothed over her bottom lip and he just watched the movement of his finger before his gaze returned to her eyes. He looked at her seriously but with a soft expression as his hands moved to cup her face to bring it closer. "You should know by now the only other people I will ever love in this world are the children we'll make together," he said quietly.

His words made her eyes widen and fill with tears before a smile broke out across her face. Her smile was absolutely vibrant as she leaned down to press her lips to his and her tears touched his skin and ran down his cheeks. He held her to him closely and let her pull away from him only went they both needed air, but even so she kept her face near his as she rested her forehead against his.

"I have something I want to ask you, Sakura," Itachi murmured as one of his hands left her face to run through her hair. She looked at him curiously but she didn't say anything as she waited for him to speak. "You have to promise me that you won't answer me now."

Her curious look turned to confusion and she opened her mouth to voice her puzzlement but Itachi cupped her face again and ran his thumb over her bottom lip again, effectively keeping her from speaking.

"I know we have only just begun to resolve our issues, which is why I do not want you to even answer me tomorrow or the next day. I want you to wait until we're at least back in Japan and you are absolutely sure you know what you want, alright?" he asked softly.

The crease between her eyebrows deepened with her confusion but she nodded without a word nonetheless.

Itachi just ran one hand down her side to her hip to press her body against his. "I was downstairs for so long tonight because I was asking your family if they would allow me the honor to ask your hand in marriage."

Her reaction was immediate. The confusion on her face vanished to be replaced with a mixed expression of shock and uncertainty. Carefully she sat up in his lap and looked down at him with wide eyes as she obviously searched for the words that were stuck in her throat. "Itachi, I-I'm…I-."

Itachi sat up as well and quickly quieted her. "You promised me you would not answer now," he murmured. "I want you to answer me when you are sure of your answer and not before, alright?"

For a few long moments they sat in silence as Sakura stared at him with wide eyes. But then she nodded and together they slowly lied back down. Itachi watched as Sakura curl up against his side with a slightly dazed expression on her face. Silently he gazed at her as her expression flew through a myriad of emotions until his exhausted mind forced his eyes to close and he drifted off.

* * *

When Sakura woke in the morning, she was alone. Her eyelids still felt heavy and mentally she was exhausted. She had been awake most of the night thinking over Itachi's proposal unable to close her eyes until Itachi's even breathing had lulled her to sleep at nearly three in the morning.

Looking at the clock now, she realized that it was well into the morning but the strength and desire to get up were missing. With a quiet groan, Sakura rolled over onto her stomach and closed her eyes again. She took a deep breath and willed herself to go back to sleep, but the smell of breakfast and coffee wafting through the crack under the door made her slowly peak her eyes open.

With more effort than should have been needed, Sakura pushed herself into a sitting position before she swung her legs over the edge and walked over to her suitcase to grab a sweatshirt and a pair of shorts. She pulled on her shorts first and yanked her sweatshirt over her head as she stumbled tiredly down the stairs. When she walked into the kitchen, she found Itachi and Kurenai were making breakfast while Asuma and Choji read the paper. The moment Kurenai spotted her she smiled brightly and chimed a good morning.

Sakura mumbled a reply.

A frown immediately fell across the older woman's lips. "You look tired, sweetheart," she said as she gestured for Sakura to take a seat at the table. She sat heavily next to Choji. "Did you not sleep well?"

Sakura rubbed her eyes again and reached for a page of the paper as Itachi placed a cup of coffee in front of her. "I'm fine," she said lightly. She smiled her thanks at him before she took a much needed drink and directed her attention to the news.

She had read a few lines before she felt Itachi place a hand on her shoulder before he leaned down to murmur in her ear. "I need to speak with you."

Slowly Sakura turned her eyes away from the paper to look at him and nodded somewhat reluctantly. Strangely enough, her heart began pounding in her chest and she swallowed hard as she wondered if he was going to bring up what they had talked about the night before. A large part of her hoped he wouldn't; she didn't want to obsess over it for the entire day like she had last night.

Putting down the paper, Sakura took one more drink from her coffee before she followed Itachi out of the kitchen and into the living room. He stopped next to the couch and turned to look at her as she chewed the corner of her bottom lip and waited for him to speak. "I have a flight back to Japan tomorrow night," he began carefully. "And I need to know if you are going to be on it with me."

Sakura felt her rapidly beating heart stop for a moment before it began to race again. Her gaze fell away from him as she slowly lowered herself down onto the couch. She desperately tried to swallow the thick lump in her throat but to no avail when she realized she didn't know if she did want to go back to Japan yet. She was happy here. She liked being with her family again and she was happy that she was with Itachi again. She didn't want to go back to work where she was surrounded by death and pain all the time; she just wanted to smile a bit longer.

Slowly Sakura focused her eyes as Itachi sat on the couch next to her. She tucked her legs under her and ran her hand through her hair stressfully as she looked at him worriedly. "I…I don't know," she said quietly. When she saw Itachi's expression change minutely, she immediately reached for him. Quickly she laced her fingers together with his and shifted to face him more fully. "I don't mean it like that," she reassured him quickly. "I just mean that I like being here. I'm not ready to leave yet. I just want to stay through Christmas." When his expression didn't change, she pulled his hands into her lap and she looked at him shyly. "And I would like it if you stayed too."

It felt like her heart was in her throat as she waited for him to reply. His eyes were searching but his face was carefully blank and she held her breath. Then he nodded slightly and the corner of his lips lifted into a small smile. "Alright. I'll call the airport and have them cancel my flight." His fingers tightened around hers. "And then I will call my parents and tell them that we will have to reschedule Christmas with them."

A smile fell across her face and she nodded before she leaned over to kiss him lightly. He returned it briefly before she pulled back slightly and smiled at him. "Thank you."

Itachi returned her smile for one of his own small ones before he stood and started out of the room to call the airport. He was about to pass through the doorway when Sakura spoke again, stopping him. "Itachi," she said lightly. She had turned on the couch to look at him. "I love you."

She watched as Itachi's expression softened and she didn't have to hear him say it too to know that he loved her as well; the look in his eyes was enough. Her smile widened and she watched him as he walked out of the room before she eventually pushed herself back onto her feet and returned to the kitchen.

When she entered, everyone was staring at her expectantly. Asuma was still reading the paper, but she could see his eyes watching her from over the top, and Kurenai and Choji had stopped what they were doing to look at her expectantly. Purposely, she ignored them and sat back down at the table before she picked up the part of the paper she stolen earlier. Kurenai lasted a total of two seconds before she spoke: _"So?"_

Sakura glanced at her. _"So?"_

She threw her an annoyed look. _"What was that about?"_ she asked.

Sakura assumed she had returned to speaking French just in case Itachi walked in, but instead of making fun of her further, she decided to go with it. _"None of your business,"_ Sakura said as a smile fell across her face. When everyone continued to look at her expectantly, she sighed. _"But we will be staying until Christmas."_

A bright smile lit up her adopted mother's face and she found herself embraced in a tight hug. The suddenness of it startled her but she returned it as she looked over to see Choji and Asuma were smiling as well. When Kurenai pulled back, she threw her a cheeky grin. _"I'm happy for you,"_ she said with a smile. _"He's a good man. And not to mention the fact that he's cute."_

Sakura felt a faint blush color her cheeks, but she just grinned back as Asuma snorted lightly and returned to his paper. Sakura laughed quietly at him before her gaze turned back to her adopted mother. _"Oh god, you have no idea."_

The moment the words left her mouth, Itachi walked back into the kitchen. Both women glanced at him before they laughed lightly, causing Itachi to stop and stare at her in that way he always did when he suspected she had done something wrong. She quickly waved him off and offered him her seat before she stood to help Kurenai finish making breakfast.

The rest of the morning passed quickly and about an hour before noon, Sakura found herself in the company of Itachi and Choji as they walked towards the coffeehouse her adopted brother worked at. The journey was one that Sakura had been taking with him every morning since she had arrived in Paris and it wasn't long before they were standing outside the coffeehouse. Sakura hugged him good-bye and watched as he and Itachi exchanged a quick few words before the younger man walked inside and began his work day.

The moment he was through the door, Sakura turned to Itachi to see he was watching her. She just looked at him. "So, what do you want to do today?" she asked.

He didn't reply right away as he grabbed her glove-clad hand with his own and began a slow stroll down the sidewalk. She followed him without a word and she couldn't stop the small smile on her face when she saw how relaxed he looked. She supposed she understood why. He was the Superintendent General of Japan. In France, he wasn't well known by civilians and the fact that he could walk down the street without being stopped or stared at must be a nice change.

Eventually Itachi's gloved fingers tightened around her own briefly as he glanced at her. "I don't mind what we do. Though, I have never been to Paris on vacation before and I would like to know what the city looks like."

Sakura smiled. "Alright." Then she tugged him across the street and down another road. When he looked at her in confusion, her smile widened. "You can't go to Paris and not go to the Eiffel Tower."

* * *

A week later Sakura smiled somewhat weakly as she hugged Kurenai good-bye. The dark-haired woman looked like she was nearly in tears, but she was keeping a strong façade as she spoke quickly to Sakura in French. _"Now, you'd better come visit us soon and you'd better call us. It's been too long since the last time you were here and I want to know everything."_ She glanced at Itachi for a moment. _"Everything."_

Sakura just smiled. She had a feeling she was mostly talking about Itachi's proposal, but she decided not to call her on it. _"Of course,"_ she replied. Then she glanced at the clock. _"We have to go."_

Kurenai just nodded and gave her a final hug before she passed her over to Asuma. The older man hugged her tightly and murmured a farewell similar to Kurenai's before she turned to Choji. There was a frown on his face but he didn't say anything as he hugged her. When he pulled back, she saw him glance at Itachi briefly before his eyes returned to her. He threw her a meaningful look but she just smiled at him before she finally turned to Itachi. Quietly, she took his hand and threw one more parting smile to her adopted family before they continued further into the airport.

Sakura hardly spoke as they walked through security and found their gate. They only had to wait about an hour or so before their flight began to board and she was surprised to find that Itachi had bought them first-class tickets. She suspected that he always flew first-class but this was the first time for her and she was a little surprised to find that the seats were as comfortable as they looked.

Quietly, she watched as Itachi took the seat next to her before her gaze turned out the window. Even from the small window she could see how white the hills were in the distance and she was slightly surprised that they were going to be able to take off, but her attention quickly turned back to Itachi when he placed his hand on hers. "Are you ready to go home?" he asked quietly.

For a moment, she wondered what exactly he was referring to. Going home meant returning to work and more importantly, giving Itachi an answer to his proposal. She felt like she should be nervous or intimidated with both of those things hanging over her head but she didn't. She already knew what she was going to do.

With a soft smile, Sakura twisted her hand in his grasp to lace their fingers together. "Yes," she nodded slowly. "I think I am."

Itachi smiled at her before he leaned back in his seat, his fingers still laced with hers.

For a moment, she just watched him before she shifted in her seat to face him more fully. "When we land in Japan, Itachi, I have something I want to tell you."

His expression was carefully blank as he looked over her expression slowly. For a long moment, he just watched her but he seemed to have understood the open look on her face for a sudden light filled his eyes and his lips lifted into a remarkable smile she had never seen before. Then he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her forward to kiss her hard and passionately on the lips. He obviously didn't care that the people boarding were more likely than not watching them as they walked by to get to their own seat. But Sakura couldn't care less for them either.

 _She was going to marry Uchiha Itachi._


	14. Epilogue

Epilogue  
The Decision

A sharp cry escaped Sakura's lips and her entire body tensed as her climax hit her hard. Her nails dug into Itachi's shoulders and she slammed her hips down onto his one final time as he groaned and released inside her. Exhausted, Sakura fell forward and collapsed against him as she closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath. A soft sigh escaped her when she felt Itachi raise a hand from her hip to brush her hair away from her neck before he pressed his lips to the underside of her jaw. She smiled faintly and a quiet giggle escaped her when his nose brushed against a sensitive spot on her throat. His mouth worked across her jaw to the sensitive skin under her ear. He nipped lightly at the skin, causing a quiet moan escaped her lips.

With a playful smile, she forced herself to sit up before she slid a glance at the clock. A low groan escaped her lips when she saw the time. "You know, you've really got to stop doing that," she said reproachfully.

Itachi merely smirked at her as his hands ran over her hips again. "Doing what?" he asked in a voice like crushed velvet.

With a raised eyebrow, she leaned forward to press her bare chest to his as her hands slid to the base of his neck. "Wake me up with a kiss before you proceed to make me so hot and bothered that I have no choice but to give into you," she murmured just as seductively.

Then she pulled back before he could lean forward and kiss her into oblivion again. Carefully she pulled herself off his lap, moaning breathlessly when he slipped out of her, before she stood from the bed. Itachi merely watched her with an expression of amusement. "You act as if you do not enjoy it."

Sakura threw him a look from where she was collecting her clothing for the day. "Oh, I enjoyed it, but that's beside the point." He cocked an eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything as she turned to face him fully and rested her hands on her hips. "You know, it's your fault I've been late to work every day this week."

Itachi smirked at her. "Yes, but seeing as you've also worked late every night this week, I see no reason to reprimand you for it."

" _Reprimand me?"_ she replied incredulously. "It's your fault." When he just looked at her with that knowing smirk on his face, she rolled her eyes and started towards the bathroom with her clothes in hand. "I'm going to shower." Then she threw him a half-serious, half-playful look over her shoulder. "Don't join me."

She saw his smirk widen before she closed the bathroom door behind her. She dropped her clothes onto the counter and started the water to warm it up before she turned to the mirror. Her fingers easily found the clasp to the emerald necklace Itachi had given to her a few years ago and took it off before she pulled her ring off. For a moment, she just stared at the simple, single diamond band as she remembered for the thousandth time in their short marriage the day he had given it to her.

It had only been five months since their return from Paris. It had taken them months to talk out their issues and a couple of times, Sakura had gotten so furious during their conversations she had to walk away. Though, she also knew Itachi was making an effort at their relationship and so she had come back after she calmed down. Even now, there were still a few issues that had yet to be resolved between them, but their relationship was stronger than it had ever been and Sakura knew that with a little more time she would be able to let go of the rest of the disagreements between them.

Though much to Sakura's surprise and delight nearly a week after their return from Paris, Itachi had given her a simple band for an engagement ring, but she had only worn it for a month or so before they had their wedding where he had given her the ring she had now. The wedding itself had been small – though it still surprised Sakura how Mikoto managed to get the church reserved so quickly; she supposed it had to do with how influential the Uchiha family was. Only their family, including Sakura's adopted family, and closest friends had been invited, but it had been exactly what she had wanted.

She could still remember Ino's grinning face out of the corner of her eye when she walked down the aisle to meet Itachi at the altar. She couldn't remember a time when he had looked at her quite like that. Even Shisui, his best man, had laughed half-heartily at Itachi for not taking his eyes off her for even a few seconds that day. But Sakura only smiled at Shisui's playful banter because in truth, she couldn't stop her gaze from Itachi either. He had looked so magnificent in his black suit and tie. Yes, she had seen him wear suits before – he wore than practically every day to work – but his eyes had darkened to a remarkable obsidian that she found herself struggling for breath.

They had left on a short honeymoon afterwards that had only lasted through the weekend, but Sakura had still enjoyed herself. They had gone to Italy, but neither of them had left the room the entire weekend. Sakura had said that she was disappointed they weren't able to see part of the country and she demanded Itachi take her back for their one-year anniversary, but she had mostly been joking. Her heart still fluttered when she remembered that weekend. She had hardly left the bed – or the circle of Itachi's arms for the matter – the entire time and she hadn't wanted it any other way.

A soft smile graced Sakura's lips at the memory as she set her ring down and finally stepped into the shower. She washed her body and hair quickly, still mindful of the time, before she got out and carelessly squeeze-dried her hair. Once most of the water was out of her hair, she walked over to the cabinet and grabbed a towel before she wrapped the material around herself and turned to the mirror.

Easily Sakura clasped her emerald necklace back around her slim neck and placed her ring back on her finger before she dressed herself. She quickly brushed on some mascara and brushed her teeth before Itachi walked into the bathroom without even a knock.

Immediately Sakura opened her mouth to playfully shoo him out, but Itachi quickly spoke: "You have been in the bathroom long enough and I still need to shower before I leave for work."

Sakura shrugged playfully. "You've made me late enough this week. Now it's my turn."

A teasing smile crossed her face as she waited for him to make the next move. She watched silently as Itachi stepped up to her so they stood face-to-face. She half-expected him to kiss her or something, but he merely wrapped an arm around her waist and turned them around so he was standing next to the counter and she was standing in the doorway before he released her.

Sakura's amused smile widened slightly as he blocked her path back into the bathroom. It didn't really bother her – she had been done anyway – but it still amused her that he thought he could boss her around like that. She would let it go for now, but later tonight she might bring it back up. She would show him that she could handle him…

Softening her smile, Sakura stepped towards him. "I'll probably be gone by the time you get out of the shower," she murmured. "I'll see you at work."

The challenging look in Itachi's eyes faded as a small smile graced his lips. "Do not forget we have dinner with my parents tonight."

At his comment, Sakura visibly deflated and a soft sigh escaped her lips. Confused, Itachi brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and pulled her towards him. "Is something the matter? I thought you enjoyed having dinner with my parents."

With another sigh, Sakura rested her forehead against his shoulder and closed her eyes. "I did until we got married. Then your mother started pestering me about giving her grandchildren and it starts to become a little overwhelming after awhile…"

Sakura felt Itachi's hand come to rest under her chin before he gently encouraged her to look at him. Slowly she looked up and met his gaze. When she looked at him, he brushed his knuckles over her cheekbone softly before he cupped her face. "Do not worry about my mother's pestering. When we feel we are ready, we will have children, but not before."

At his reassuring words Sakura felt her worry fade. She pulled the hand cupping her face away to lace their fingers together as a soft smile caressed her lips. Then her smile turned playful. "What do you mean by 'we'?" she asked teasingly. "I'm going to be the one caring the child while you get all the fun."

Itachi's soft expression quickly turned amused. "I will not be the only one having fun the night it is conceived. And besides, I believe I will be the one running around getting you everything you desire."

At his comment, Sakura turned thoughtful. "Well when you put it that way, I may have to get pregnant sooner…"

When Itachi's expression changed slightly, Sakura laughed lightly and leaned up to kiss him quickly. Though, before she could pull away Itachi wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. He easily slanted his mouth against hers and slipped his tongue inside for a quick taste.

When he did finally pull away, he gently nudged her out of the bathroom. "Go to work. We will finish this discussion later."

Sakura threw him a look. They both knew that discussions like this always ended in sex. "Uh huh," she replied. She smiled at him again before she turned and left the room.

* * *

It was only barely two in the afternoon by the time Sakura found herself swamped in work. She found herself running back and forth between her computer and her various machines to collect the information co-workers had requested of her. There were endless amounts of blood tests and bullet fragments to analyze that she found herself unable to take so much as a five-second break.

With another sigh, Sakura stood from her computer chair to grab the test results from her printer. Quickly she checked the paper over before she moved back to her computer to grab her cell phone from the counter. She punched in a text message to Kakashi, informing him she was done with what he needed, and placed the document in her 'done' pile before she returned to her computer.

She had only just begun working through her next test when she heard two pairs of footsteps in her doorway. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced back to see Genma and Shisui walk in. Quickly she worked to a good stopping point before she turned to them. "What can I do for you?" she asked not unkindly.

Shisui spoke first. "We came across a double homicide a few hours ago and we need to have the room processed."

Sakura felt herself visibly slouch. "Everything in the room?" she asked a little hesitantly.

Shisui nodded as the two men approached her. She turned in her chair when Genma held out a few pictures for her. Silently she took them and examined them while Shisui explained what they believed happened.

When he finished, Sakura handed the pictures back to Genma. "Alright, I'll get started processing the evidence when I finish with what I'm doing."

Genma opened his mouth to probably demand she start their work first but before he could speak Shisui nodded and thanked her before he grabbed Genma by the arm and easily pulled him out of her lab. She smiled at their antics but it slowly faded when she realized how much work she had left to do. She wouldn't be getting out of work until late tonight.

Suddenly, Sakura slouched down further in her chair when she realized she was either going to be late to dinner with Itachi and his parents or unable to make it at all – most likely the latter. Itachi was going to be mad at her. They had been planning this dinner for weeks so they had enough time to clear their schedule. Now she couldn't even make it.

Sighing softly, Sakura slid off her chair and walked slower than usual to the elevator outside her lab. She pressed the button to go up and stepped inside when the doors opened. Reluctantly, she hit the button for the top floor and waited silently as the lift carried her up the eighteen or so floors before the doors slid open once more.

Hesitantly, Sakura stepped out and headed towards Itachi's office. She found the door open when she made it across the room, but Naruto was already inside discussing something with him so she waited silently in the doorway even when Itachi briefly glanced at her before turning his attention back to the blond.

Sakura didn't have to wait too long for Naruto to finish his report with Itachi. When he was done, he bowed and gave Sakura a bright smile on his way out. She returned it half-heartedly before it quickly faded. Once he was out of the room, she quietly stepped inside the room and closed the door. Then without a word, Sakura made her way over to him and climbed into his lap so she was straddling him on his office chair before she leaned forward and kissed him.

Her hands automatically came to rest on his shoulders as she slipped her tongue inside his mouth for a quick taste. When she felt Itachi's hands settle on her waist, she shifted to rest herself more fully against him so their chests were pressed flat against each other's. A soft sigh escaped her when Itachi brushed his tongue against hers, but the quiet intimacy slowly came to an end when Sakura pulled back and rested her forehead against his collarbone.

They sat in silence for a moment before Itachi chuckled softly and ran his fingers through her hair. "What brought that on?" he asked quietly.

Sakura didn't move from her position as she closed her eyes. "I just wanted to kiss you one more time before you hate me forever."

"It is highly unlikely I will ever hate you, Sakura," he said with his voice full of amusement. "But pray tell why you would believe that."

A soft sigh escaped Sakura before she picked her head up to look at him. "I can't make it to dinner tonight."

Immediately, Itachi's amusement faded. "Why not?" he asked, his tone unreadable.

Sakura dropped her gaze downward and she smoothed out his tie to give herself something to distract herself with. "I just got swamped with work and I don't think I'm going to make it out of the lab until late."

Itachi ran his hand up her side and she could feel him looking at her pointedly, but she refused to meet his gaze. "You told me your work would not be a problem."

Her eyes immediately shot to his as her anger flared. "And it wouldn't have been if not for Genma and Shisui," she retorted. Then her moment of indignation faded and she glanced down with a sigh. "Everyone just needed something all of a sudden and there's still only one of me." Shyly she peaked up at him through her eyelashes. "I'm sorry, Itachi. I really did want to go to dinner with your family."

Itachi's fingers gently grasped her chin and urged her to look at him fully. "They are your family too now, Sakura. And these things happen. I will simply tell my parents that we will have to reschedule."

Immediately Sakura shook her head. "Don't do that, Itachi. You can still go."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

She nodded with a soft smile. "I think having dinner alone with your parents will be nice. You never get to spend any time with your mother anymore without me or Sasuke there."

Itachi watched her for a moment to be sure she was being honest before he nodded. "Very well. I suppose I will see you when you get home then."

Sakura smiled slightly and nodded before she slowly stood from Itachi's lap. She turned to leave, but before she could take one step away from him, he grabbed her wrist and jerked her back so he could kiss her again. His lips moved softly against hers for a moment before he pulled away.

Through half-lidded eyes, she met his gaze. "What was that for?"

A smirk slowly caressed his lips. "I wanted you to know that the kiss earlier was not going to be our last kiss."

A soft laugh escaped Sakura as she straightened. "Well maybe later tonight we can continue where we left off."

Itachi's expression was the only reply she needed before she started to head out of his office. She made it to the door before he spoke again: "Do not work too late, Sakura."

She glanced back at him with a smile before she headed back down to her lab.

* * *

Itachi could say that he finally understood why Sakura was so overwhelmed by his mother. With his wife's absence, all the questions about having a child had been directed at him and he had spent the better part of the last half of their dinner being bombarded about when they were going to have a child, whether they wanted a boy or a girl – of course his father had voiced his opinion about a boy – and what they would name it.

Of course Itachi had kept it to himself – both from his parents and Sakura – that he would have preferred to have a girl. He could already tell that his father was adamant in him producing a son, but in all honesty he had always wanted a little girl. Boys were mean and out of control – or at least that was what his brother had been like growing up. He would rather have a little girl that was a little bit of him, but mostly like Sakura. Sakura never liked to talk about her childhood, but if they had a little girl, he was sure he would get to know what she was like while she grew up.

But he could wait for that until the time was right. He didn't want anyone to make Sakura feel like they needed to have a child, including his parents or even him. After all, even though he had told her earlier that morning that he would be there for her through her entire pregnancy, it was still her that would have to go through all the pain and suffering and happiness and anger of actually being pregnant. Which is why he had decided that he would let Sakura decide when she was ready. And not before then.

But still, Itachi couldn't help but wonder about the future as he finally pulled his car into the driveway. He had been thinking about what their daughter would look like, but the moment he parked his car and found the rest of the driveway empty, all those thoughts vanished. Sakura still wasn't home which meant she was still at work, finishing up test results for Shisui and Genma.

Sighing softly, Itachi climbed the steps up to their home as he called her on her cell. It rang a few times before her voicemail kicked in. He left her a short message, telling her he would be waiting for her at home when she was done with work. Then he hung up and made his way towards their bedroom to get ready for bed.

Normally, Itachi would stay up into the late hours of the night to wait for Sakura, but after having worked all day and having his ear talked off by his mother, he was much too tired to wait for his wife. Instead, he left the porch and hall light on for Sakura before he climbed into bed and slowly drifted off to sleep.

What felt like a few hours later, Itachi felt the bed dip slightly before a small form stretched out across the mattress next to him. Without opening his eyes, he knew it was Sakura by her scent and automatically he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him. The soft material of her silk nightgown felt cool against his skin as she turned and settled her body against his.

"You worked too late," he murmured into her hair.

He felt more than heard her sigh into his neck before she kissed his skin lightly. "Sorry," she murmured. "I was only able to get through half of the evidence before I realized how late it was."

Itachi made a noncommittal sound in the back of his throat as he relaxed against the pillows again, knowing that Sakura was home safely. He was just about to drift off again when Sakura shifted again and picked her head up. Slowly he opened his eyes when he felt her gaze. "I was thinking today," she began softly. "About what we talked about this morning."

Itachi shifted slightly and pulled Sakura half on top of him so he could look down at her easier. Her body easily came to rest on top of his and she looked at him through the dark with a glint of nervousness in her eyes that he hadn't seen in a very long time.

"Yes?" Itachi encouraged softly when she hesitated.

She took a deep breath and looked away self-consciously. "And I think I'm ready." She hesitated again. "To have a baby," she clarified. Her gaze slowly met his as she smiled softly. "Someone who's a little me and a little you."

Itachi felt a smile begin to stretch across his face and he grasped Sakura around the middle gently and pulled her closer. "Yeah?" he asked just as quietly.

She nodded slightly. "Yeah."

His smile turned into a grin and he bent his head down so he could place a sweet kiss to her lips. He could feel her smile against his mouth and he desperately wanted to deepen the kiss, but he pulled back instead and brushed her bangs away from her face. "If we are going to have a child, I would prefer it be a girl."

Sakura's smile faded slightly in her surprise. "You want a girl?"

Itachi nodded.

Immediately Sakura's smile returned and she leaned down to kiss him quickly before she pulled back with a thoughtful expression on her face. "You do realize it is the sperm and not the egg that decides whether it is a girl or boy, right?" she asked rhetorically. "If we have a boy it is going to be your fault."

Itachi smirked at her. "Well we can always try again if it does turn out to be a boy."

She sat up in his lap as a small frown graced her lips as she thought over his offer, but it cleared a moment later as she nodded and held out her hand. "Deal?"

His smirk widened in amusement and he shook her hand. "Deal." Then Itachi glanced at the clock and frowned when he realized it was nearly three in the morning. Turning his attention back to Sakura, he ran his hands up and down her back to hopefully encourage her to lie back against him so they could sleep. "I think we should continue this course later though, when it is not three o'clock in the morning."

Unexpectedly, Sakura didn't lie back against him. Instead a small smirk graced her lips and she reached around to her sides to rest her hands on top of his. "Oh, I disagree," she murmured seductively as she slowly pushed his hands down so they rested on her hips.

Immediately Itachi realized what she was trying to tell him. From her lack of panties, she wanted to start _now_. The small smirk on Itachi's face grew and he easily flipped them over so she was pressed flat against the bed among the sheets and pillows. His lips immediately sought out hers and he kissed her hard until she was gasping for breath before he easily worked his mouth down the slender column of her neck. It wasn't long before she began moaning his name and rocking her hips up into his.

Slowly, Itachi kissed his way back up her throat and placed a quick kiss to her lips before he looked down at her. "Have you stopped taking your pill?" he asked.

Even in her lust-filled state she managed to look at him in the eyes and nod. "About three days ago."

He cocked an eyebrow. "You already decided before today that you wanted a child." It wasn't a statement or a question.

She glanced away slightly. "I was undecided until tonight."

Itachi hesitated as a few questions came to mind, but he quickly dismissed them as he leaned down and kissed her again as his hands slid underneath her nightgown to touch her. The way her hips jerked and she gasped made heat pool in his lower stomach and he realized that if this was how she was reacting to just his touch, he couldn't wait to be inside her. He was going to have far too much fun trying to get her pregnant.

* * *

It was late. Much too late for Sakura to still be awake. But she couldn't sleep even with Itachi's firm warmth curled around her. It had been a month since they had decided to try to get pregnant and here she was trying to think of the best way to tell him that she had finally conceived.

She had an appointment with Tsunade in a few days to see how far along she was and she wanted more than anything for Itachi to go with her. She knew he would be excited and happier than she had ever seen him, but she wanted to tell him in a special way; not to just come out and say it. He had given her the very thing she wanted; something that would tie them together for the rest of their life, and she wanted him to know how special that was for her – for them.

But she would wait until the morning to tell him. She could tell all their late night fun and the long hours at work were beginning to tire Itachi out. He could usually handle it, but after a month of acting like bunnies she knew he needed his sleep and so tonight she would let him rest and tomorrow she would break the news to him.

Because in all honesty, in times like these when she would lie awake with Itachi curled around her sleeping soundly made her wonder how she had gotten to where she was now. She wished she could say that getting to this point in her life was easy; that she didn't have to fight and claw herself to where she was now. But on some levels she was glad she did. For the most part, she had always been tough, but going through what she did had only made her that much stronger, for better or for worse.

She didn't know why fate had so cruelly dragged Kiba back into her life and forced her and Itachi apart. She didn't know if it had been her faith in Itachi that had been tested or faith in herself, but it made her realize something important; something that she wouldn't have known had things been different.

It took seeing Ino and Shikamaru's relationship, and the bond between her foster parents to make her realize it. But what she learned was that a great love is a lot like the ocean tides: when it gently beats against the short, it's peaceful and calming, but it doesn't hold the strength of the entire ocean. When there's a rip tide, a person can try and push themselves against the current, but the more they do, the further they get swept away from where they want to go. But if a person stands still and just lets the water wash over them maybe, just maybe, they'll be taken to another, more wonderful place. They just have to be willing to get their feet wet.

In the back of her mind, Sakura knew she was a little different than before. Back then, she had only focused on "her and Itachi" and "Itachi and I." But now, she saw it as them, as we, as us. And sometime in the near future she was going to have to think of them as parents, as mom and dad. Because hell, if she was going to spend the rest of her life with someone and have a child that was part her and part him, it should be with someone she loved with all her heart.

And that person was most definitely Uchiha Itachi.


End file.
